Jordan Peele’s next horror project is Nope, and unsurprisingly, most details about the story remain a secret, making way for many theories, but a tease from Peele supports the biggest theory about Nope’s story. Jordan Peele has successfully made the transition from comedy actor to one of the most respected filmmakers in the horror genre, to the point where there’s now a lot of anticipation (and speculation) about his next project. A big part of Peele’s success in horror is that he has brought original stories, something quite refreshing in a genre loaded with sequels, reboots, and remakes in recent years.
Peele’s first horror project was Get Out, in 2017, which was a critical and commercial success and earned him the Academy Award for Best Screenplay, establishing him as one of the best writers and directors in the horror genre. Next was Us, released in 2019, and after hosting the third revival of The Twilight Zone, Peele is back with a new horror movie titled Nope. The movie is scheduled for a July 22, 2022 release, and even though a trailer has already been released, plot details continue to be a mystery, making way for a variety of theories on what Nope is truly about.
It’s not surprising that Peele hasn’t revealed many details about the story of Nope as his past projects were also surrounded by mystery, but there’s a supernatural element in Nope that is making the anticipation around it bigger. Now, Peele has teased that there is something supernatural going on in Nope, explaining that Daniel Kaluuya’s character is “a humble man destined for an epic and otherworldly confrontation”, and that he wrote him with Kaluuya in mind. The tease of an “otherworldly confrontation” supports the theory of Nope being about an alien invasion and the title being an acronym.
The first trailer for Nope didn’t reveal much about the story but gave the audience a good look at the setting and the main characters. Nope will take the audience to Haywood Ranch, owned by Jill (Keke Palmer) and James Haywood (Kaluuya), and where they, along with the residents of this isolated town, will witness a mysterious and abnormal event. Details like a stand selling alien-shaped merchandise, a massive cloud with a kite tail, everyone looking at the sky in horror, the hand of a creature, and a very quick glimpse at what seems to be an alien have made viewers believe Nope will deal with an alien invasion, and the title itself might be hiding this. A theory suggests Nope is an acronym for “Not Of Planet Earth”. Throughout the trailer, Kaluuya is seen in the middle of danger a couple of times, and he seems to be the one who comes across the aforementioned creature at the horse stables, showing that he's indeed destined for an otherworldly confrontation.
It’s unlikely that more plot details about Nope will be released before its release, but if there’s one thing to be learned from Jordan Peele’s past movies is that nothing is what it seems and things can take a turn at any moment. There’s a lot of evidence pointing at Nope being all about an alien invasion, but why they will arrive on Earth and specifically target Haywood Ranch, and how Jill and James will handle it remains to be seen. As for the title being an acronym, that might be a fun reveal at the end of the movie or something that Peele will have to confirm or deny at some point.
