Jordan Peele And Issa Rae Jump Into 'Sinkhole' At Universal Pictures
Jordan Peele has quickly become an acclaimed filmmaker thanks to his films Get Out and Us, and Issa Rae has turned into an in-demand star thanks to her Emmy-nominated HBO series Insecure. Now the two are bringing their sizzling talents together for a new movie that sounds like it could easily be an episode of The Twilight Zone.
Universal Pictures has snagged the rights to Leyna Krow's short story Sinkhole, which follows a family who move into their dream home, but there's one gaping oddity: a sinkhole in the backyard that somehow fixes broken and destroyed things.
Deadline has word on Universal picking up the rights to make the Sinkhole movie after beating out 10 other studios in a bidding war featuring several different packages with filmmakers and stars attached. Jordan Peele is on board to produce with Win Rosenfeld through their Moneypaw production banner, and the project is being developed as a star vehicle for Rae, who will also produce through her own Issa Rae Productions with Montrel McKay and Sara Rastogi. Krow is executive producing with Alex Davis-Lawrence from the literary journal Moss, which is where the story was originally published
The most interesting part of Sinkhole comes from what happens if something like a person was put into the sinkhole. How would a "broken" person return from the sinkhole? The movie will answer that question by diving into perceptions of female perfection and identity in society. Deadline adds that the story "has the trappings of a grounded, psychological sci-fi/horror, but the subplot is a commentary on the human condition through the lens of female identity." You can ready the full short story over here if you're interested in knowing more.
Peele is no stranger to approaching social issues under the guise of both comedy and genre filmmaking. Not only did his sketch comedy show Key & Peele hilariously shine a light on a variety of topics, but Get Out and Us dealt with racism and and class in an insightful way. Meanwhile, Issa Rae's HBO series Insecure has done on outstanding job at tackling life, love, and more from the perspective of a Black woman. With Peele and Rae working together, we're bound to get something provocative and compelling.
As of now, there's no director attached to the project, and since Universal only just landed the screen rights, it's still in the early stages of development. But we'll be sure to keep our ear to the ground for more details as they become available.