Disney Animation Wants Jordan Peele to Make a Movie 'Immediately'

Jordan Peele first rose to fame thanks to his comedic work with Keegan-Michael Key across years of Key & Peele sketches, but he has since established himself as one of the best directors in Hollywood. It has now been over four years since he last directed a movie, and a new generation of film fans is preparing to experience its first Jordan Peele-directed project once he gets his next movie across the finish line. Peele most recently teamed up with Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer for Nope, a sci-fi/horror thriller now streaming on Netflix. The film grossed over $170 million at the box office against a $68 million budget, and it won over 45 awards and was nominated for nearly 200 on the awards circuit in late 2022 and early 2023.

Between Nope and films such as Get Out (2017) and Us (2019), Peele has stuck mostly to horror since he began directing. All of his movies have also been live-action, and there have been no reports that his next film will shift to animation, though it is too early to know specifics about the currently untitled movie. However, just because he has not directed an animated film does not mean big studios like Disney are not eager to work with him. During a recent interview with Disney Head of Animation Jared Bush at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, Collider's Steve Weintraub asked the Disney boss if there was a dream filmmaker they would love to work with who is not traditionally thought of as an animated/Disney filmmaker. He told Collider:

“Oh my gosh. I need — immediately — for Jordan Peele to come to Disney Animation. That's what I need. Because one: Brilliant filmmaker. He takes very, very big chances. Bold storytelling. I'd love to see what he would do with a Disney Animated film.”

What Is Jordan Peele's Highest-Grossing Movie?

Jordan Peele has only directed three movies — Get Out, Us, and Nope — but his first directorial feature is also by far the most successful of his career. Peele made Get Out for only $4.5 million, making it one of the cheaper features released that year, but the film grossed $259 million at the global box office, making it a smash hit for Universal Pictures. That success allowed Peele to spend $20 million on his next film, Us, which still turned a massive profit by grossing $256 million.