Jordan Peele's next film has received a 2019 release date. The news hits only three months after the theatrical bow of Get Out, his highly acclaimed directorial debut starring Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams as an interracial couple visiting Williams' devious white family for the first time. The movie was a surprise breakout, grossing upwards of $229 million against a paltry $4.5 million budget and raking in near-universal praise.
Prior to Get Out's staggering success, Peele had built a reputation on the sketch comedy circuit. Alongside Keegan-Michael Key, he starred for three years on Comedy Central's Key & Peele, a show known for its incisive mix of satire, social commentary, and humor. Get Out similarly subverted an unlikely genre, turning a horror movie into a caustic examination of race relations in 21st century America.
Now, Peele's next project has been given a March 15, 2019 release date, in a statement by Universal. Peele will write, direct, and produce the currently untitled social thriller from an original idea, as well as an array of other films including several micro-budgeted efforts in collaboration with Get Out producer Jason Blum.
As of yet, details around the movie are sparse, but it will reportedly be another politically conscious horror flick. Peele has stated in the past that he's keen to keep exploring the concept of a "social thriller," and that he has ideas for films that tackle different "social monsters" mapped out for the next decade.
A 2019 release date is also reassuring. Peele previously said he was taking his time to plan out his next movie, but two years seems rather ambitious, given that Get Out took roughly eight years from story genesis to finished product. But the announcement certainly jives with Peele's proclamation that he wants to focus on original work. He was recently courted to helm the buzzy live-action adaptation of Otomo’s cult-classic Akira property, but ultimately passed to focus on original ideas, despite it being one of his favorite movies.
Peele was involved in a number of outside projects in the time that he was writing Get Out, including being a co-creator, writer, and executive producer for Key & Peele from 2012 to 2015, so it makes sense that it wasn't until recently that he had time to fine tune the film. Based on his comments, he likely won't take on many substantial outside efforts between now and when his next project is released, but a focused direction should give way to the masterful and thought-provoking feature viewers will surely expect.