Netflix have secured a deal in the region of $30M for Dev Patel’s directorial debut Monkey Man, due for release in 2022.
Filming has already wrapped on the movie, according to Deadline, which will see Patel – also credited as one of the film’s producers and scriptwriters – play an ex-convict seeking revenge on those who wronged him in the past. The film is also partly inspired by the Hindu myth about half-human, half-monkey deity Hanuman.
Sharlto Copley (District 9), Sobhita Dhulipala (Psycho Raman) and Sikandar Kher will also appear alongside the Slumdog Millionaire star.
Dev Patel's directorial debut, MONKEY MAN, is coming to Netflix.
Patel, who co-wrote the film with Paul Angunawela & John Collee, will star alongside Sharlto Copley in a story about an unlikely hero who emerges from prison to get revenge on those who took everything from him. pic.twitter.com/V5hI5tyHoO
— NetflixFilm (@NetflixFilm) March 12, 2021
In a statement to Deadline, 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.”
The film was due to shoot in India last year but, according to local reports, had to move to Indonesia due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Patel most recently starred in The Personal History of David Copperfield and is set to appear in The Green Knight, which will be released at the end of July 2021.
In a four-star review of The Personal History of David Copperfield, NME wrote: “Ultimately, literary purists won’t be put off and the spirit of Dickens’ character remains intact. But this is no reverential remake.
“Instead, Iannucci has taken the best bits from the novel and crafted a vital story for a brand new generation of Dickens-lovers, carving himself a new career path in the process.”
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