Key & Peele may have come to an end on Comedy Central this year, but the careers of stars/comedians Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele have just gotten started. Case in point: Peele has just signed on to make his feature directorial debut with a horror thriller called Get Out for Blumhouse Production. Per The Wrap, the film centers on a young African-American man who visits his Caucasian girlfriend’s family estate, adding a comedic bent to the film’s apt title.

In a statement touting the new film, Peele praised the power of horror films to tackle serious social issues, name-dropping Night of the Living Dead as a potential influence on Get Out:


“People know me for my work in comedy, but now I’ll get to focus on my passion for writing and directing horror films. Like comedy, horror has an ability to provoke thought and further the conversation on real social issues in a very powerful way. Get Out takes on the task of exploring race in America, something that hasn’t really been done within the genre since Night of the Living Dead 47 years ago. It’s long overdue,”

jordan-peele-get-out
Image via Comedy Central

Though Peele is the co-creator of Key & Peele and wrote for MADtv, this will be his first time directing a project of any kind. He’s currently shooting the stoner comedy Keanu, which he co-wrote and stars in alongside Keegan-Michael Key, but it sounds like Get Out will be his primary focus following that film.

Blumhouse is producing alongside QC Entertainment, and Blumhouse is currently coming off of two strong-performing features, The Gift and The Visit. While their initial business model revolved around giving young new filmmakers a jump start, Blumhouse has started toying with established talent as of late like M. Night Shyamalan and Jon M. Chu. Peele is sort of in between established and up-and-comer given that he hasn’t directed before, but I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what he puts together.