Following his highly acclaimed horror showcases Get Out and Us, Jordan Peele will soon return with his highly mysterious Nope, starring Daniel Kaluuya, Steven Yeun, and Keke Palmer. Very little is known about the plot, but Reddit users have already taken to the site to discuss what they hope to see from Peele's return.
Like his previous two projects, it seems like Nope is set up to be some kind of socially-aware horror, potentially using his narrative to explore the struggles of Black communities in America. Although he's given away no clues regarding the film's plot aside from a mysterious object in the sky, it seems safe to assume that Peele will stick to his usual tricks in this respect.
An Alien Invasion
'Aliens' is a fairly loose term, but whatever is happening in that first trailer for Nope certainly seems like it's related to extraterrestrials of some form. When asked what they expect from the film, Reddit user motheriron casually replied: "Aliens, probably."
Peele has never tackled the concept of aliens before in his films, and whilst he's explored several outlandish concepts, they've never been rooted in anything other than humanity. Whatever Nope's central conflict is about, aliens would make for a fresh change from Peele's usual antics.
Cults
In both Get Out and Us, the central story was about a certain group of people who were united by a set of twisted ideals. This could certainly be the same with Nope, and some Reddit users are suggesting that Peele will be directing his commentary towards religious cultists.
Redditor torino888 makes an interesting suggestion that "maybe it could be about a cult or some type of leader with bad intentions," based on the film's apparent religious subtext. This would certainly fit with what Peele has done before, though the exact details of this potential 'cult' seem unclear.
The Apocalypse
Nope certainly seems like it houses higher stakes than Peele's previous films, but some Reddit users are going so far as to suggest the film is actually about the apocalypse. And with the director's track record up to now, Nope could end up being one of the best films about the end of the world in a long time.
Reddit user castaway666666 writes: "I think it’s an apocalypse movie, or about an isolated town in the middle of nowhere, and hopefully some creatures." This all seems totally plausible, especially considering just how wild and inventive Peele's stories can often be.
Climate Change
Reddit user -down-2-clown- suggests that Nope could be "about climate change mixed with a sci-fi element," which certainly fits with the imagery that people have seen from the film's trailers so far. Peele's films almost always come with some sort of social criticism, so perhaps it's climate change's turn to face that commentary.
The imagery of clouds and kites from the trailers and posters would also seem to agree with this sentiment, as the weather seems to be playing a big role in the story. Perhaps Nope will see its main characters fighting for the environment, in some way or another.
Time Travel
Nope certainly doesn't seem to be set in the modern-day, but Reddit user itulak has a theory that claims the film's setting is much more complex than it seems. They suggest that the characters have perhaps time-traveled "back to when black people were victims of 50s racism."
Racism has always been a prominent theme of Peele's films, with both Get Out and Us examining the toxic relationship between White and Black communities in different environments. It seems likely that Nope will have a similar subtext, but exactly how this will tie into the films narrative is still unclear.
A Carnival
Not much is known about the various characters that will appear in Nope, but it certainly seems like Steven Yeun's character is playing some sort of carnival manager or performer. One Redditor thinks that the carnival could play a big role in the story, writing: "It looks like a carnival, so clowns I guess?"
Peele has been known to include plenty of interesting horror tropes in his films before, but clowns have never played a role up to now. It would certainly be an interesting direction to take the film, and he could really double down on the fear factor this time.
Government Conspiracy
Jordan Peele has never been afraid to put society under the microscope and examine its many flaws in his movies, and perhaps Nope will offer a close analysis of the American government - with its many problems. Redditor manversusape writes: "My theory is that the US government are involved with this and they're doing some kind of experiment on the UFO".
An effective examination of the US government and its many legal flaws could cement Jordan Peele as one of the most influential horror filmmakers of all time, particularly if he manages to blend this commentary with an entertaining story of fear and deception.
A Fake Alien Invasion
One of the boldest theories that Redditors have put forward about Nope is that it will contain "a false flag alien invasion," according to freys80. Whilst it seems like an outlandish concept at first, that's never stopped Jordan Peele and his creative mind in the past.
But if Nope is about some kind of fake alien invasion, it is unclear what the endgame is. It would definitely be an interesting direction to take the film, and this unconventional approach could make Nope one of the best alien invasion films there is.
Shape-Shifters
Reddit user sea_barracuda8708 puts forward an interesting theory regarding some of the imagery that people have seen so far from the trailers: "I think the crab is related to the kind of creatures shown, and veil lady is one of the creatures discarding a human “shell” body... sometimes what we imagine is worse than the actual thing."
The idea of hiding behind a different appearance would fit perfectly with Peele's usual kind of commentary and would also offer a clear gateway into his signature themes on racism and discrimination. This certainly seems like a probable route for the film to take, particularly if all these theories about alien invasions ring true.
Aliens Replacing Humans
It seems clear that aliens will play some role in Peele's upcoming film, but Redditor drunkenninja27 suggests that their plan is much more sinister than just a simple invasion: "Maybe aliens replacing people? It would fit with one of the many themes in his movies."
In Get Out, it was revealed that white people were replacing black people's consciousnesses with their own in order to maintain physical superiority. And in Us, the 'tethered' attempted to replace their human counterparts in order to find a better quality of life. Perhaps, the aliens will be replacing the humans in some way in Nope, making for a very unusual trilogy of thematically connected movies.