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Nope Director Jordan Peele to Shine Light on Forgotten Black Cowboys in New Peacock Docuseries
The 3-part series will deconstruct "the whitewashed mythology of the cowboy."
Oscar-winning filmmaker Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us) is officially returning to the world of Nope (now streaming on Peacock)... sort of.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the director will set out to "expand on themes" found in his 2022 UFO action-thriller with a forthcoming Peacock docuseries aimed at deconstructing "the whitewashed mythology of the cowboy." Keith McQuirter (By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem) is serving as EP, showrunner, and director for the still-untitled project, which Peele will executive produce under his Monkeypaw Productions banner.
For More on Jordan Peele:
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“Nope gave a nod to the deep history of Black cowboys in America, and this docuseries offers a full exploration of their lives and contributions to today’s cultural landscape," Pearlena Igbokwe, Universal Studio Group chairman, said in a statement (via THR). "Told through the singular lens of Jordan Peele, this series is every bit as entertaining as it is enriching. It’s been a thrill for [Universal Television Alternative Studio] to collaborate with Jordan, Monkeypaw, Keith and the team on what is a truly special project, and we’re excited to share it with fans."
Per the official synopsis: "The untitled Black cowboy docuseries will rewrite a foundational piece of American history, unmasking the forces that erased the identity of the Black cowboy from frontier history and present. Stories of real cowboys will take viewers on a thrilling odyssey that connects to the heart of the resurgence of Black cowboy culture that we see today across music, art, fashion and film in a three-part series to premiere on Peacock."
Win Rosenfeld, Jamal Watson, Keisha Senter, Liz Yale Marsh, and Sacha Jenkins are also attached as executive producers.
In addition to serving as a modern-day homage to the classic Western, Nope also sought to shine a spotlight on the very first movie star: the anonymous Black jockey featured in Eadweard Muybridge's 1887 Horse in Motion, a series of moving images that served as an early basis for all of filmmaking.
“This movie’s not about race per se, although race does interact with this idea of spectacle-ization and exploitation,” Peele states in Nope's production notes. “But the movie, in itself, is meant to be a film that couldn't be made five years ago, in that it’s an original piece of content, starring people of color, directed by a person of color, with a big budget and some crazy s--t in it. That movie’s not supposed to be made. So, in the soul of the film, just by existing, we have some obligation to acknowledge all the people who haven’t been allowed to take a bow, all the people who haven’t been allowed an opportunity to succeed or fail. I think that’s what the movie is about.”
Nope is currently streaming on Peacock!
