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In 2021, Netflix, for an extremely modest sum of $30 million, picked up the world rights to Dev Patel’s directorial debut, Monkey Man. Originally announced for release in 2022 and then 2023 but now undated, Monkey Man appears to be MIA. We’re keeping track of everything you need to know about Monkey Man, including the plot, cast, trailer, and the Netflix release date.
Update: This preview is now outdated, with the movie having shifted distributors to Universal Pictures in 2024.
Co-written, produced, starring, and directed by Slumdog Millionaire’s Dev Patel. The feature is Patel’s directorial debut and has already created quite a stir, with many anticipating an incredible debut.
When the project was initially announced back in March 2021, Patel said:
“I’m so thrilled to be partnering with Netflix on this adventure. I hope this will be a fresh addition to the genre at a time in this industry where my story can become our story. Shooting a film during a pandemic has been quite challenging to say the least, but the opportunity to reimagine stories from my childhood and infuse them with my love of action cinema has been an absolute joy. Big love to Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee for championing us from the very beginning and Aaron Gilbert and the team at Bron for giving an unproven filmmaker like myself a voice.”
Working alongside Patel on the writing team was Paul Angunawela and John Collee, the screenwriter of Master and Commander and Happy Feet.
Dev Patel is joined by Basil Iwanyk, Samarth Sahni, and Jomon Thomas as executive producers.
Thunder Road Pictures, Xeitgeist Entertainment Group, and BRON Studios are behind the flick.
What is the plot of Monkey Man?
Little is known about the plot than the initial logline;
“The Kid emerges from prison to take on a world enmeshed in corporate greed and eroding spiritual values.”
The movie has been described as “John Wick in Mumbai.”
Who are the cast members of Monkey Man?
While Dev Patel is the director, an executive producer, and one of the writers of Monkey Man, he also has a lead role in the movie.
Monkey Man is also Patel’s first project for Netflix, which means he’ll be making his Netflix debut and directorial debut for the streaming service.
His character is called “The Kid.”
Patel is joined by District 9, Maleficent, and Elysium actor Sharlto Copley. Amazon’s Made in Heaven actress Sobhita Dhulipala, and Sense8 actor Sikandar Kher.
Speaking about the project, Dhulipala told the press:
“I had auditioned for it almost five years ago and I got a call back in a few days for a screen test with Dev. I remember it was on the day I was leaving for the Cannes Film festival with my first film Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016). All these years later and many turns in the journey of the film and our individual lives later looks like we belonged with each other all along. What appealed to me about the project is that it’s a collaborative spirit, a young and rather eccentric approach to the story and most certainly the people involved. I knew it would be special from the get-go. I really enjoyed my character’s tender dilemmas, they were as glamorous as sorrowful.”
Sharlto Copley (left), Sobhita Dhulipala (center), and Sikandar Kher (right)
Other actors attached to the project include:
- Brahim Chab (Ek Tha Tiger) as King Cobra
- Joseph J.U. Taylor as Gerrard
- Adithi Kalkunte (Hotel Mumbai) as Neela
- Nagesh Bhonsle (Hotel Mumbai) as Warden
- Vipin Sharma (Like Stars on Earth) as Alpha
When was Monkey Man filmed?
Considering at the time of writing, we’re in October 2022, shooting for Monkey Man was completed a relatively long time ago.
Filming began in Indonesia on December 16th, 2020, and was completed a couple of months later, on February 26th, 2021.
According to Pitobash on Facebook, he was filming on the project for four months.
Clapper board for Monkey Man Netflix
Very little behind-the-scenes have surfaced of the movie, but on Instagram, a user by the name of csdunn75 did manage to snap a short video:
When is Monkey Man coming to Netflix?
Monkey Man is currently undated and missing in action despite being previously broadly dated twice.
In February 2022, Netflix unveiled its 2022 slate, where it listed Monkey Man, but it was eventually removed and pushed to 2023. In January 2023, the movie once again featured in Netflix’s preview for the year but has joined many other movies that have been pushed out of the year.
At this point, it’s likely the movie will be a 2024 release, but there’s also a possibility that the movie could be shelved permanently.
Netflix picked up the global rights to Monkey Man, which will see the action-thriller land on Netflix.
Are you looking forward to the release of Monkey Man on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!
