Jordan Peele is known for serving his horror with a side of equally enrapturing and head-scratching social commentaries – and his third feature film directorial effort, “Nope,” is no exception.
After building up an impassioned fanbase since his Oscar-winning directorial debut “Get Out” – and while still managing to keep the plots of his high-profile works largely under wraps – audiences are expected to flock to “Nope” in theaters this weekend; current tracking suggests that the film will have an opening between these two films at around $47-$50 million.
Early fan reactions and reviews indicate “Nope” is as bold, large-scale and potentially divisive as the auteur’s other works, “Get Out” and “Us.” Many are praising Peele for keeping up the momentum promised by his first two features.
“I know this is a hot take but at what point do we declare Jordan Peele the best horror director of all time?” Adam Ellis, a comic book creator and (clearly) a Peele fan, wrote on Twitter Wednesday. “Can you think of another horror director that had 3 great films, let alone 3 in a row? I can’t.”
Peele, while flattered, was quick to jump in and cite who’s actually the greatest horror filmmaker of all time.
“Sir, please put the phone down I beg you,” Peele tweeted in response. “Sorry. I love your enthusiasm but I will just not tolerate any John Carpenter slander!”
Peele, for what it’s worth, has always been vocal about the influence Carpenter and his films like “The Thing” and “Halloween” had on his creative sensibilities.
Being what it is, other Twitter users soon joined the conversation to offer up directors of their own that may fit the title: Alfred Hitchcock, David Cronenberg, Wes Craven, David Lynch – and the list goes on.
“Nope” opens in theaters July 22.