Jordan Peele’s latest horror project is simply titled Nope, and there was a lot of speculation around its possible connections to Peele’s previous movies, Get Out and Us – so, are all of his movies connected? The horror genre has been going through a great run in recent years, thanks to sequels and reboots, adaptations of other horror media, and original works as well. One of the biggest new names in the horror genre is Jordan Peele, who successfully transitioned from comedy to horror with Get Out and Us.
Jordan Peele started his career in the entertainment world as a comedian, and in 2003 he joined the cast of Mad TV, where he met Keegan-Michael Key, with whom he joined forces in the sketch series Key & Peele from 2012 to 2015. Two years later, Peele made the jump from comedy to horror and to working behind the cameras with his directorial debut Get Out. Starring Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, and Bradley Whitford, Get Out was a critical and commercial success, and gave Peele his first Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Peele's next horror movie, Us, was released in 2019 and was also a critical and commercial hit, and that same year, he executive-produced and narrated the third revival of the TV series The Twilight Zone.
Peele also co-produced and co-wrote the 2021 Candyman sequel, but 2022 brought another Peele directorial effort. Simply titled Nope, the project was announced in November 2020 and hit theaters on July 22, 2022. The cast of Nope is formed by Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, and Steven Yeun. A teaser for Nope was released ahead of the first trailer’s premiere at the Super Bowl LVI, and, as expected, it didn’t show anything about the story, instead featuring quick looks at the main cast and footage of the Jordan Peele Get Out movie and Us the movie, further fueling the belief that all of Jordan Peele’s films are connected. But did the final movie reward that speculation?
Jordan Peele's Movies Aren't Explicitly Connected
What Peele’s movies have in common is a good dose of social commentary and a style that stays away from jump scares and supernatural creatures (at least for now). Even before Us came out, viewers started to theorize that there’s a Jordan Peele shared universe. In 2018, he revealed on @KevinMcCarthyTV that Get Out has Easter eggs that he will “probably continue to weave in the universe of his next movie”, further fueling the belief of a shared universe. Nope has plenty of tiny details but no direct Get Out or Us Easter eggs that tie the movies together, and the story is about UFOs rather than the more intimate horrors of his first two movies. An alternative belief is that rather than building a shared universe, what Peele is doing with his movies is sending a message through their titles: “Get Out, Us? Nope.”
Why It's A Good Thing Peele's Movies Are Standalone
While nearly everything is getting a shared universe/franchise in modern Hollywood, it doesn't mean it's necessary or creatively fertile, and the fact that the Jordan Peele Get Out, Us, and Nope trifecta aren't connected is actually a good thing for the director. As of now, Peele is making a huge name for himself in the horror genre, and that's because he is making standalone films with interesting and exciting premises. Making movies that aren't a part of a franchise or shared universe gives Peele the chance to develop his own style without having to worry about shared connections or Easter eggs. It also allows for a differentiation in themes, characters, and storylines since the films are not chained down by the rules of an established shared universe. All in all, it's very much suitable that Nope, Get Out, and Us the movie aren't connected, because it gives Jordan Peele more freedom as a horror director and makes the movies less predictable – knowing the rules of a fictional universe tends to make its events easier to predict. Having Peele subvert that every time adds to the fresh perspective of his work.