During the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, the IMAX Cinesphere Theatre at Ontario Place had a special showing of Nope, the western horror film written and directed by Oscar winner Jordan Peele. The director’s third feature picture, which grossed over $150 million worldwide, was a critical and commercial success and gained him acclaim from moviegoers. Fans have been returning to see Nope many times after realising it was missing material seen in previews thanks to Peele’s unorthodox, genre-bending approach to horror since his debut film, Get Out, and the breathtaking IMAX craftsmanship of cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema.
There have been rumblings of a potential prequel, sequel, or something else. What hasn’t been spoken about, though, is a rumour Steven Weintraub heard: Peele may be releasing an extended cut of the film. A short time after the IMAX screening, Weintraub had an exclusive interview with Peele and Hoytema, during which he inquired about the existence of the purported director’s cut. Peele instructed him, “Neither can I confirm nor reject such rumours. Just “Oh, shit,” as the kids say. People have had a lot to say about how they “found things” in the trailer that weren’t in the film. I think people will be able to see more in the not-too-distant future. That’s about all I can say at the moment. Optimism prevails in me.”
Then he elaborated, “There’s a noticeable lack of interest in peeling back the film’s layers. And one of the things that excite me the most is that I believe people do understand that we haven’t cheated; that if you watch the film, it’s telling a story, and the parts of the jigsaw that seem like they’re missing upon the first viewing, reveal themselves to not be missing with the second viewing. The fact that readers are eager for more has been a great source of inspiration.” There were many, many layers to nope. In addition to the unsolved UFO mystery, Peele also included a lengthy history for Yeun’s character, the former child star turned amusement park owner Ricky “Jupe” Park. While Em (Keke Palmer) and O.J. (Daniel Kaluuya) were the film’s primary protagonists, other characters like the mysterious Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott) had viewers wondering whether there was more to the story.
Despite this, additional research is needed, and the finer points are still being debated. In an interview with Weintraub before Nope hit theatres, Peele said that his assembly cut (the first cut of a film in which all the footage is included) lasted “three hours and 45 minutes.” I’m sure that most of the footage that wasn’t used in the film was axed because it wasn’t excellent, but I’m willing to bet that there is some fantastic material that wasn’t used.
Oscar winners Kaluuya and Yeun, along with Palmer, Wincott, Brandon Perea, Keith David, Barbie Ferreira, and Oz Perkins, feature in Peele’s written, directed, and produced film Nope. Director Robert Graf and producer Win Rosenfeld are responsible for the film.
Don’t miss your chance to see Nope in theatres.