Nope (film)

***Nope*** is a 2022 American neo-Western science fiction horror film written, directed, and produced by Jordan Peele, under his and Ian Cooper's Monkeypaw Productions banner. It stars Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer as horse-wrangling siblings attempting to capture evidence of an unidentified flying object in Agua Dulce, California. Appearing in supporting roles are Steven Yeun, Michael Wincott, Brandon Perea, and Keith David.

*Nope* was theatrically released in the United States on July 22, 2022, by Universal Pictures.

## Plot

In Agua Dulce, California, the Haywood family trains and handles horses for film productions. One day, small metallic objects fall out of the sky, killing Otis Haywood Sr.

Six months later, his children, Emerald "Em" Haywood and a depressed Otis "OJ" Haywood Jr., are fired from a set after their horse, Lucky, reacts violently to its own reflection in a mirror. To raise money, OJ sells some of the horses to Ricky "Jupe" Park, who operates a Western theme park called Jupiter's Claim. Jupe exploits his past trauma as a child actor, when a chimpanzee named Gordy maimed his costars on the set of a sitcom, but left him unharmed.

One night, the Haywoods notice their electricity fluctuating and their horses violently reacting to an unknown presence. They discover an unidentified flying object (UFO) that has been taking their horses and spitting out the inorganic matter, which OJ concludes to have caused their father's death. The siblings decide to document and sell evidence of the UFO's existence, and recruit Angel Torres to set up surveillance cameras. The UFO arrives and abducts a horse and a decoy snatched by Em from Jupiter's Claim.

The next day, Em attempts to recruit famed cinematographer Antlers Holst to help them record the UFO. Holst declines, telling Em that chasing wealth and fame is a "dream you will never wake up from." Angel then arrives and reveals that a cloud in the valley never moves; OJ suspects this is the UFO's hiding place.

Jupe introduces a live show in Jupiter's Claim where he plans to use Lucky as bait to lure out the UFO. For months Jupe has been feeding the UFO the Haywood's horses for shows. The UFO arrives early and devours Jupe and the entire audience, leaving only Lucky alive. OJ, attempting to retrieve Lucky, realizes that the UFO is actually a territorial, predatory organism. After the creature showers the Haywood household with the detritus and regurgitated remains of the crowd, OJ realizes that it only attacks those who look directly at it. He devises a plan to record it. Em and Angel are hesitant until Em receives a call from Holst, who now agrees to help. OJ names the organism "Jean Jacket", after a horse that Em as a child was promised to train.

To circumvent Jean Jacket's effect of shutting down all electronics nearby, Holst brings a hand-cranked IMAX film camera. The group will bait Jean Jacket with a field of electrically-powered tube man props to deduce its location in the sky. However, a paparazzo trespasses onto the field and is thrown from his electric motorcycle when it shuts down near Jean Jacket, which devours him. Though Holst captures footage of Jean Jacket, his obsession with "the impossible shot" results in him being devoured alongside his camera, forcing the remaining three to flee. Angel survives an attack from Jean Jacket by being wrapped in a tarp and barbed wire, causing the creature to unfurl into a new, larger form.

OJ intentionally looks directly at Jean Jacket, allowing Em to use the motorcycle to rush to Jupiter's Claim. There, she untethers the park's large helium balloon mascot of Jupe, the large eyes of which attract Jean Jacket's ire. Jean Jacket attempts to feed on the balloon while Em uses an attraction's analog camera to photograph Jean Jacket as it feeds. Its attempt to eat the perceived threat results in the balloon detonating, killing Jean Jacket. With the picture as proof of the creature's existence and reporters arriving nearby, Em sees an unharmed OJ and Lucky standing outside of Jupiter's Claim.

## Cast

* Daniel Kaluuya as Otis "OJ" Haywood Jr., the son of Otis Haywood Sr.
* Keke Palmer as Emerald "Em" Haywood, the daughter of Otis Haywood Sr., and the sister of Otis Jr.
* Steven Yeun as Ricky "Jupe" Park, a former child actor and owner/creator of the theme park "Jupiter's Claim"
	+ Jacob Kim as young Ricky "Jupe" Park, who plays Mikey Houston on *Gordy's Home*
* Michael Wincott as Antlers Holst, a renowned cinematographer
* Brandon Perea as Angel Torres, a tech salesman at Fry's Electronics
* Wrenn Schmidt as Amber Park, Jupe's wife
* Barbie Ferreira as Nessie, Angel's co-worker at Fry's
* Terry Notary as Gordy, a chimpanzee and star of the sitcom *Gordy's Home*
* Devon Graye as Ryder Muybridge, a paparazzo who rides an electric bike
* Donna Mills as Bonnie Clayton, a commercial actress
* Osgood Perkins as Fynn Bachman, a commercial director
* Eddie Jemison as Buster, a crew member on the commercial
* Keith David as Otis Haywood Sr., the owner of Haywood's Hollywood Horses Ranch
* Sophia Coto as Mary Jo Elliott, who plays Haley Houston on *Gordy's Home*
	+ Haley Babula as Mary Jo Elliott (adult)
* Jennifer Lafleur as Phyllis Mayberry, who plays Margaret Houston on *Gordy's Home*
* Andrew Patrick Ralston as Tom Bogan, who plays Brett Houston on *Gordy's Home*