As warm-up acts go, Dev Patel's directorial debut in Monkey Man was undeniably impressive, making news regarding his next stint behind the camera even more exciting. Deadline reports that his next project, The Peasant, has been snatched up by A24, who are keen to get in on this upcoming action movie that sounds like a John Wick movie from medieval times.
It's a fitting reunion for Patel, given that he worked with A24 on David Lowery's The Green Knight, and this new film will see the star return to a similar era. Patel will be in front and behind the camera once again, this time playing a shepherd in the 1300s in feudal India, whose home is ravaged by a band of mercenary knights. The bad news for them is that Patel's character is another classic hero who wants to live the quiet life and is forced to set off on a quest of vengeance when that doesn't happen. The early script was penned by Will Dunn, who wrote the MCU show Ms. Marvel. Patel will also be contributing as a co-writer.
The Peasant will be produced by Fifth Season, who helped Dunn in its infancy along with Thunder Road, which is behind both the John Wick movies and Monkey Man. With those entries under their belt, you can expect the same brutality, only with swords, shields, and knights that thought they'd gotten off easy. Filming is expected to begin later this year, and if it does the job, The Peasant could be rich in franchise potential.
In the meantime, you can expect to see Patel dabbling in horror later this year with his upcoming film Rabbit Trap. That spine-tingler sees him star opposite Rosy McEwan as a couple that moves to Wales to complete an album they're working on, only to pick up something unnatural in the recording booth instead. Sounds good to us.
