Universal Pictures dropped the final trailer for Jordan Peele’s latest film, Nope. We finally learn something about the plot, and yep, it looks like aliens. Maybe. Probably.
As we’ve reported previously, trailers for Peele’s films never reveal too much since much of the pleasure of his movies comes from their frequently bizarre twists. We wouldn’t have it any other way. All we knew thus far about Nope is that Daniel Kaluuya (who was nominated for an Oscar for Get Out), Keke Palmer (Hustlers, Black Panther), and Steven Yeun (Minari, Okja) play “residents in a lonely gulch of inland California who bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery.”
The first trailer dropped in February—very moody and atmospheric but offering few details. In April, Universal Pictures marked the start of the NBA Playoffs by dropping a brief teaser featuring eight-time NBA All-Star Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors. There were no new details, and the highly photogenic Curry won’t be winning an Oscar any time soon, but it was a cute meme-worthy marketing move by the studio.
But now, the final trailer audit provides some much-desired insight into what the film is actually about. Kaluuya’s and Palmer’s characters (OJ and Emerald Haywood) are clearly brother and sister who own a small ranch they’re running as a tourist attraction. Ricky “Jupe” Park (Yuen) is their cowboy master of ceremonies.
OJ’s and Emerald’s lives are thrown into turmoil when their father unexpectedly drops dead. And it doesn’t look like a natural death; one of his eyes is badly damaged. Then OJ sees “something above the clouds that’s big,” and the duo ponder whether that unidentified flying object might be responsible for their father’s sudden death.
They also see a prime opportunity to make a lot of money by being the first to capture the existence of these suspected aliens on camera. Sure, the Internet is full of footage that people claim are UFOs, but “ain’t nobody gonna get what we gonna get—the money shot,” Emerald tells OJ. “Undeniable proof of aliens. The Oprah shot.” They recruit a guy named Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott) to help them get that money shot, with the additional help of a Fry’s technician named Angel Torres (Brandon Perea).
But it seems the aliens are camera-shy, and the scheme makes them angry. The result: A whole lot of people mysteriously disappear, presumably captured by the aliens. Apparently, the best way to ensure you don’t get taken is to not look at whatever is out there. And whatever OJ and Emerald saw in that cloud, “It’s not what you think.” So… maybe not aliens? We’ll soon find out.
Nope opens in theaters on July 22, 2022.
Listing image by YouTube/Universal Pictures
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