Horror fans were given quite the treat on Super Bowl Sunday as Universal Pictures released the first full-length trailer for director Jordan Peele’s NOPE. This serves as his follow-up to 2019’s Us, which was preceded by the Oscar-winning Get Out. Needless to say, expectations are high for this one, especially since the trailer offered a great deal of intrigue, seemingly without revealing too much, though it did almost certainly confirm (or so it would seem) that the movie is definitely about aliens.
Look at that sweet lil precocious alien peepin' out #NOPE pic.twitter.com/Qqfc7mWHNk
— Adam Frazier (@AdamFrazier) February 13, 2022
The first trailer for Jordan Peele’s #Nope has finally dropped, and…aliens?!
— DR Movie News 📽 (@DRMovieNews1) February 13, 2022
Peele tackling sci-fi horror is a pleasant surprise. The trailer does a great job at keeping the plot vague while also reeling us in w/ lush cinematography & small glimpses of chill-inducing horror. pic.twitter.com/8seQFTtyRe
As we can see, there are several shots in the trailer that make it crystal clear that aliens will be a part of the festivities for this one. The idea of Peele taking on an alien invasion thriller is undoubtedly appealing for a variety of reasons. But is it that simple? Is the man who delivered the utter craziness of Us going to be so forthcoming with what this film is actually about? First, let’s talk about the popular theory going around.
saw someone say “nope: not of planet earth” now i can’t breathe pic.twitter.com/BT3QzdkoeX
— dani (@mikewqters) February 8, 2022
Many people on Twitter pointed out that NOPE could well be an acronym for “not of planet Earth.” That would indeed make a great deal of sense if we take all of the imagery at face value. But Peele is not a man who, up to this point in his filmmaking career, has put it all on front street. We have to assume there is more going on here. If not aliens, what? Could this be some grand illusion? Is something larger at play? Could we be in for a Shyamalan-esque twist? For now, we have far more questions than answers, unfortunately. The logline is as vague as one might expect as well:
“The film reunites Peele with Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya, who is joined by Keke Palmer and Oscar nominee Steven Yeun as residents in a lonely gulch of inland California who bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery.”
Odds are, we’re not getting any concrete answers from Peele or anyone else until the movie hits theaters this summer. If I am to leave you with anything, it is that what we see in the trailer should probably be taken with a relative grain of salt, and we should assume there is much more going on here. As for what it might be? Cinema lovers of the world are eager to find out.
The cast also includes Michael Wincott (Westworld) and Brandon Perea (The OA), with a script from Peele, who also produces alongside Ian Cooper (Candyman).
NOPE arrives in theaters on July 22, 2022.
