‘Monkey Man’ – Everything We Know About Dev Patel’s Directorial Debut

Dev Patel is one of the most versatile actors working today. After getting his big break in the Oscar-winning drama Slumdog Millionaire, he has built up a strong filmography from real-life dramas such as Lion and Hotel Mumbai, to period pieces like The Personal History of David Copperfield, the fantasy epic The Green Knight and the light-hearted comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and its sequel. Now, Patel is going the badass action star route with his directorial debut Monkey Man, a brutal and bloody action movie with a hard R-rating.

It has been quite some time since the movie was first announced in 2018, and now, seemingly out of nowhere, it’s nearly here, and its coming much sooner than expected. Here’s everything we know about Dev Patel’s Monkey Man.

Editor’s Note: This piece was updated on February 11, 2024.

Does ‘Monkey Man’ Have a Release Date?

Yes, Monkey Man is set to be released by Universal Pictures on April 5, 2024. The movie will be opening against the horror prequel The First Omen from the Disney-owned 20th Century Studios.

The movie will have its world premiere on March 11, 2024, at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. Monkey Man joins an impressive lineup of movies at the festival that also includes The Fall Guy, Road House, The Idea of You, and Y2K.

Will ‘Monkey Man’ Be in Theaters?

Yes, Monkey Man will enjoy an exclusive theatrical release. Back in 2021, it was announced that Monkey Man had been acquired by Netflix, but since then word about the film had been quiet. That was until late January 2024, when Universal Pictures and Jordan Peele‘s Monkeypaw Productions dropped the official trailer online, announcing that the film would instead be released in theaters. Peele was shown the film early and was so impressed with it that he believed the movie deserved a theatrical release.

While most movies distributed by Universal are available to stream on Peacock after their theatrical release, there is a chance that a deal could be worked out to allow the movie to stream exclusively on Netflix instead. While nothing has been confirmed and this is pure speculation, it wouldn’t be the first time Universal has partnered with one of their streaming service’s rivals, as can be seen with Argylle, which will stream on Apple TV+ after its theatrical release.

Is There a Trailer for ‘Monkey Man’?

Universal released the official trailer for Monkey Man on January 26, 2024. Set to “Beware Of The Boys (Mundian To Bach)” by Panjabi and Jay-Z, the first look at the film runs at over three minutes and teases the film’s brutal violence as the lead character embarks on a bloody path of vengeance.

What Is the Plot of ‘Monkey Man’?

The official synopsis for Monkey Man reads:

Oscar® nominee Dev Patel (Lion, Slumdog Millionaire) achieves an astonishing, tour-de-force feature directing debut with an action thriller about one man’s quest for vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systemically victimize the poor and powerless. Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.

Monkey Man has previously been described as “John Wick in Mumbai” and it certainly looks like it will live up to that comparison, while also adding some of its own world-building, inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an Indian icon who signifies strength and courage.

Who Stars in ‘Monkey Man’?

As previously mentioned, Dev Patel stars in Monkey Man in the role of Kid, a mysterious man who works in an underground fight club, who ends up seeking revenge on the men who took everything from him when he was just a child. Patel became a household name when he played the lead role of Jamal in the Best Picture-winning film Slumdog Millionaire. His career reached even greater heights when, in 2017, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for his role as Saroo Brierley in Lion. Patel has also worked with filmmakers such as Danny Boyle, David Lowery, Garth Davis, Wes Anderson, M. Night Shyamalan, Neil Blomkamp, John Carney, and Armando Iannucci.

Several of Patel’s former co-stars will also be joining him on-screen, including Chappie‘s Sharlto Copley, and Hotel Mumbai‘s Vipa Sharma and Adithi Kalkunte. The rest of the cast includes Sobhita Dhulipala (Made in Heaven), Pitobash (Million Dollar Arm), Ashwini Kalsekar (Ek Tha Hero), Sikandar Kher (Aarya), and Makarand Deshpande (RRR).

Who Is Making ‘Monkey Man’?

Alongside starring in the lead role, Dev Patel co-wrote, directed, and produced Monkey Man. The action movie marks his feature directorial debut, having previously directed two short films: Home Shopper in 2018 and Roborovski in 2021. Patel has also previously worked as an executive producer on the movies Hotel Mumbai, Companion, and the documentary To Kill a Tiger, which recently received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature. The only other feature film with Patel credited as a producer is the 2018 thriller The Wedding Guest.

Patel co-wrote the script alongside Paul Angunawela and Hotel Mumbai‘s John Collee. Producing the film with Patel are Academy Award winner Jordan Peele, Jomon Thomas (Hotel Mumbai), Win Rosenfeld (Candyman), Ian Cooper (Us), Basil Iwanyk (John Wick), Erica Lee (John Wick: Chapter 4), Christine Haebler (Bones of Crows), and Anjay Nagpal (The Green Knight). Executive producers on the film are Jonathan Fuhrman, Natalya Pavchinskya, Aaron L. Gilbert, Andria Spring, Alison-Jane Roney, and Steven Thibault. Sharone Meir (Whiplash) provided the film’s cinematography, and Kasra Rassoulzadegan (The Royal Hotel), Tim Murrell (21 Bridges), and Chris Gill (American Animals) served as the movie’s editors.

What Is ‘Monkey Man’ Rated?

As you can likely already tell from the trailer, Monkey Man is a rated R. The film received the rating for “strong bloody violence throughout, rape, language throughout, sexual content/nudity, and drug use.”