Netflix Paid $30M for Monkey Man, Then Tried to Bury It

By The Backlot

@backlotfriends

Dev Patel wearing the monkey mask standing in an underground fight ring in Monkey Man (2024)

Netflix bought Monkey Man for $30 million in 2021. Then they decided it was too gritty and too politically provocative for Indian audiences and nearly canceled it.

Jordan Peele stepped in. He brought the film to Universal for under $10 million. That is how a movie Netflix paid $30 million for ended up in theaters.

That context changes the watch. This was political enough to scare a streaming giant. Dev Patel wrote it, directed it, and broke his hand shooting the first action sequence.

It keeps landing in Backlot lists. If you saved it, now is a good time.

Quick Facts

Netflix Paid $30M for Monkey Man, Then Tried to Bury It

DirectorDev Patel

CastDev Patel, Sikandar Kher, Makrand Deshpande, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma

GenreThriller, Crime, Action

Release2024-04-03

Runtime122 min

Rated6.9/10

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Netflix paid $30 million for Monkey Man and almost buried it. Jordan Peele saved it. #MonkeyMan #Backlot

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Netflix paid $30M for Monkey Man in 2021, then nearly killed it for being too political. Jordan Peele stepped in and got it to theaters for under $10M.