Nandor Fodor & The Talking Mongoose Trailer: Simon Pegg Investigates A Bizarre Island Mystery

A movie long in the making is finally coming our way as "Nandor Fodor & the Talking Mongoose" is due to hit theaters in September — and we've got a trailer! The movie actually is based on an allegedly true story about a talking mongoose named Gef from the 1930s that was widely regarded as a hoax, though it was heavily invested at the time. In the film, Simon Pegg ("Mission: Impossible," "Shaun of the Dead") is playing the title character, Nandor Fodor, who appears to go absolutely mad trying to figure out whether or not this creature is real.

Adam Sigal ("Chariot," "Stakeout") is in the director's chair for this one, with a supporting cast that includes the likes of Minnie Driver ("Good Will Hunting") and Christopher Lloyd ("Back to the Future"), not to mention Neil Gaiman, who is lending his voice to the proceedings. Joining the group is Edmund Kingsley as famed illusionist Harry Houdini, in addition to Tim Downie, Ruth Connell, Paul Kaye, Gary Beadle, Drew Moerlein, and Jessica Balmer. What does this all amount to as a cinematic venture? Let's take a look.

This is pretty quirky, if we're to boil it down to a single word. Simon Pegg is doing one heck of an accent here, for starters, and the filmmakers seem to be leaning into the idea that this talking creature may or may not be real. But a whole lot of people are at least convinced it's real. That seems to turn it into an "I'm not crazy, you're all crazy" situation. We also don't ever see the mongoose in question, which leaves the whole answer to the question a little up in the air. The official synopsis for the film reads as follows:

When famed paranormal psychologist Dr. Nandor Fodor (Simon Pegg) investigates a family's claims of a talking animal, he uncovers a mysterious web of hidden motives. Soon, everyone becomes a suspect in Dr. Fodor's relentless pursuit of the truth.

Paramount is releasing the film, which was produced by Saban Films. This one is at least going to get a chance in theaters, as it will debut on the big screen in early September before arriving on VOD a couple of weeks later. Even if it's a relatively minimal release, some sort of theatrical component tends to draw more attention to a streaming release. And hey, it's nice to have offbeat movies getting the big-screen treatment.

"Nandor Fodor & the Talking Mongoose" hits theaters on September 1, 2023, before hitting digital retailers on September 19.