Universal Pictures has released the first trailer for “Monkey Man.” Dev Patel helms the action thriller about a man out for vengeance against the corrupt and wicked.
Patel goes from Oscar-nominee to first-time director as he helms “Monkey Man” an actioner that takes its bloody and gritty inspiration from the likes of “John Wick.” Based on an his original story, he co-writes the screenplay with Paul Angunawela and John Collee. The film will be released through Monkeypaw’s film deal with Universal.
The trailer sees Patel as Kid, a man who participates in underground fights in order to make a living. He wears a monkey mask during each fight, and night after night, he is beaten to a bloody pulp. When he discovers a way to infiltrate the city’s sinister elite, he takes it upon himself to take down the empire that took everything away from him.
We also get to her the Kid laying out the exposition for the film by providing details about how his mother told stories of a demon king and his army. Those words are reflected by giving us a look at some of the film’s villains and how they scorched the earth. That is That would all change when they faced the protector of the people, the legend of Hanuman, a deity in Hinduism.
The Kid recognizes how the rich look down upon those who don’t have the same wealth. Shots of people sleeping on the streets gives us an idea about the class warfare that is about to break out. We also see how the Kid is working menial jobs just to scrap by. In one of those jobs, he bares witness an oppressor’s violence against the weak, and it triggers him to a point here he decides to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.
Kid makes plenty of confrontations with an assortment of gunmen and even tries to make a daring escape by jumping out of a window – although it’s not as easy as it looks in the movies. But it isn’t all violence. There are some comedic moments that break the tension. One sees the Kid and a friend walking through a row of luxury fast cars in a garage, only to end up at an unexpected one named Nikki Minaj.
Monkey Man is produced by Dev Patel, Jomon Thomas (Hotel Mumbai, The Man Who Knew Infinity), Oscar® winner Jordan Peele (Nope, Get Out), Win Rosenfeld (Candyman, Hunters series), Ian Cooper (Nope, Us), Basil Iwanyk (John Wick franchise, Sicario films), Erica Lee (John Wick franchise, Silent Night), Christine Haebler (Shut In, Bones of Crows) and Anjay Nagpal (executive producer of Bombshell, Greyhound).
The film’s international cast includes Sharlto Copley (District 9), Sobhita Dhulipala (Made in Heaven), Pitobash (Million Dollar Arm), Vipin Sharma (Hotel Mumbai), Ashwini Kalsekar (Ek Tha Hero), Adithi Kalkunte (Hotel Mumbai), Sikandar Kher (Aarya) and Makarand Deshpande (RRR).
Packed with thrilling and spectacular fight and chase scenes, Monkey Man is directed by Dev Patel from his original story and his screenplay with Paul Angunawela and John Collee (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World).
Serving as executive producers are Jonathan Fuhrman, Natalya Pavchinskya, Aaron L. Gilbert, Andria Spring, Alison-Jane Roney and Steven Thibault.
Here’s the official plot synopsis for “Monkey Man:”
Oscar® nominee Dev Patel (Lion, Slumdog Millionaire) achieves an astonishing, tour-de-force feature directing debut with an action thriller about one man’s quest for vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systemically victimize the poor and powerless.
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.
After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.
