Having already proven himself a comedic talent time and time again on camera in projects like Mad TV, Key & Peele and Keanu, Jordan Peele has now stepped behind the camera to focus on his directing career. Last year, his directorial debut, Get Out, was not only met with critical acclaim and earned numerous accolades (including Peele winning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay), it also made over $255 million worldwide off a $4.5 million budget. Peele's next movie will be Us, and it's been confirmed that another Black Panther actor is joining the cast: Winston Duke, who played Jabari leader M'Baku.
Winston Duke confirmed that he's appearing in Us with the above Twitter post, and it sounds like he's excited to be working alongside Jordan Peele on what will be Duke's third movie. He will perform alongside Lupita Nyong'o, who played Nakia in Black Panther and confirmed her involvement in Us last month. Before Black Panther, Duke was arguably best known for his recurring role as Dominic/Mini in Person of Interest, and he'd also appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Messengers, Major Crimes and Modern Family. He also reprised M'Baku for Avengers: Infinity War, with the Jabari leader fighting alongside T'Challa, Okoye and Wakanda's other warriors to help the Avengers combat Thanos' forces. Duke was arguably the breakout star in Black Panther, so it will be interesting to see him lend his talents to Us, a movie that, while we don't know much about it, will almost certainly feel much different from a Marvel Cinematic Universe entry.
The only plot details that have been revealed so far about Us is that it will focus on two couples, one black and one white. Along with Winston Duke and Lupita Nyong'o, The Handmaid's Tale's Elisabeth Moss was said to be negotiations to join the movie, but we have yet to learn which actor is being looked at to round out this quartet. Along with both starring in Black Panther, Duke and Nyong'o attended the Yale Drama School together, so the two of them being more directly paired together will ideally be a treat. As was the case with Get Out, Us will be produced by Jason Blum, and given Blumhouse Productions' track record with horrors and thrillers, the next Jordan Peele picture will hopefully be another enjoyable theatrical experience, though I am curious how Us' more unnerving elements will compare to what Get Out offered.
Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on how Jordan Peele's Us is coming along. In the meantime, if you're curious about what movies are coming out later this year, head over to our 2018 premiere guide for release date information.
