Picture: Universal Pictures
In a shocker, Monkey Man, originally set to release on Netflix, has switched distributors and will now be releasing with Universal Pictures and getting a full theatrical release.
In our full preview of the movie, which is still (mostly) relevant, with the exception of Netflix’s lack of involvement now, we spoke about how the movie faced multiple delays on Netflix. It was initially included in Netflix’s 2022 slate reveal, but as that year went on, the movie was yanked from the lineup. When the 2023 movie lineup was revealed, Monkey Man was notably absent. This was also the case for Halle Berry’s The Mothership, which we’ve learned has been scrapped entirely.
Netflix initially acquired the movie back in 2021 for a reported $30 million. It was filmed for a period of four months between December 2020 and February 2021.
Fast forward to today, and Universal Pictures has announced it’ll be the home of the feature film, which has already wrapped filming and is eying an April 5th, 2024, theatrical run with it releasing under Jordan Peele’s banner, Monkeypaw Productions.
Dev Patel directs and stars in the action-thriller that’s been compared to John Wick, with Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, and Sikander Kher also in the cast.
Here’s the synopsis for the upcoming movie:
“Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash.”
Why the change in the distributor? We’re still waiting for an official reason, but it looks like Netflix dropped it at some point. THR reports, “Insiders say Peele had a chance to see the movie, and was so taken with Patel’s vision that he believed it deserved a theatrical release.”
The theatrical distribution applies to the United States and the United Kingdom. It’s worth noting Netflix would still stream the movie in 2028 in the United States under an output deal with Universal Pictures.
This is still a shock, given that we recently saw Monkey Man given a hard R rating from the US rating board with Netflix still attached as the distributor for the project.
Film rating for Monkey Man
We have reached out to Netflix to get their story on what happened to the release of Monkey Man, but it looks like a big loss on the Netflix Film front, especially judging from early social media reactions.
Are you disappointed Monkey Man won’t be coming to Netflix? Let us know in the comments.