So news about his third movie was exciting even before we knew anything about it beyond its cast, which includes Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, and Steven Yeun. But now we at least know the title: Nope. Revealed alongside its poster and release date by Peele on social media (which you can see below), the title is a cheeky and amusing nod which follows in the tradition of 1960s and ‘70s horror movies like Nicholas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now. Edgar Wright famously homaged that style of horror titling as well in his fake trailer for a Grindhouse movie that doesn’t exist: Don’t. Nope of course updates the gag by framing itself around a popular phrase and meme, often used to characterize Black audiences reacting to movies where on-screen characters make questionable if not outright stupid decisions in horror movies—like, say, petting the sexual snake-dragon in Prometheus. Not much else is currently known about Nope other than its July 22, 2022 release date. However, judging by the trailer there appears to be something faintly alien about its image which involves a giant cloud and a streamer that could signal it’s either attached to a kite, a car dealership, or some type of holiday decorations. Could Santa be a UFO? Probably nope! But who really knows at this point?
