Jordan Peele Is Teaming up With a Legendary Horror Director

Jordan Peele quickly made a name for himself in the horror world. The cultural impact of Get Out cannot be emphasized enough, but the effect the film had on the genre was just as monumental. His follow-up films, US and Nope, may not have registered as deeply for folks, but they were wildly successful. At least, Peele’s work has established him as an authoritative voice in the horror space. So, of course, he’s producing other people’s work.

The writer/director hasn’t only been producing horror. He worked on Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, which helped launch John David Washington’s career as a leading man. Last year, he saved Dev Patel’s film Monkey Man from potentially being buried by Netflix. In the horror space, he’s produced Nia DaCosta’s Candyman remake/sequel, and, more recently, Him.

Peele had been trying to produce Weapons, but lost out and fired his management team as a result. He ended up a producer on Him instead. The film is about an up-and-coming quarterback who trains under his idol, and spooky stuff happens. It’s one of those movies that had a fantastic trailer, but was shunned upon release. It barely made its budget back at the box office and began to feel like a consolation prize for Peele that didn’t work out.

To top that all off, Peele had a release date set for his newest film that was moved by Universal and then removed entirely. So, he’s a bit on the rebound and teaming up with Sam Raimi in hopes of a surefire hit. The duo will be co-producing an original film for Universal called Portrait of God, which will be directed by newcomer Dylan Clark and based on a short film he co-created.

This will mark Raimi and Peele’s first collaboration, which is reason enough to get excited. Raimi is on somewhat of a rebound himself. After helming the disastrous Oz the Great and Powerful, Raimi has been somewhat absent from films, only producing occasionally (and doing some TV work). After stepping in to direct the sequel to Doctor Strange, he’s been welcomed back into the fold, even directing a new horror film set to release next year.

Both Raimi and Peele were once emerging directors whom producers took a chance on, and seeing them do that for another young talent is pretty spectacular. The short this new film was based on involves a woman who discovers what God looks like and the horrors that come with that knowledge. An expansion on that idea sounds right up Peele and Raimi’s alley.