Dev Patel has been tapped to direct, star in action revenge film Monkey Man

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Oscar nominee Dev Patel (SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, LION) has been tapped by Endeavor Content to make his directioral debut with MONKEY MAN, an action revenge feature in which he will also star. With their hands firm on the worldwide sale of the property, Endeavor plans to shop the film to buyers attending AFM (American Film Market). In addition to his afformentioned contributions to the project, Patel will also pen the script alongside Paul Angunawela (KEITH LEMON: THE FILM) and John Collee (MASTER AND COMMANDER, HAPPY FEET). Meanwhile, Basil Iwanyk (JOHN WICK, SICARIO) of Thunder Road is producing along with Xeitgeist’s Joe Thomas (HOTEL MUMBAI, DAMASCUS COVER) and Patel.

Steeped in mythology, but set in a vibrant modern India, MONKEY MAN follows the Kid (Patel) who emerges from prison to take on a world enmeshed in corporate greed and eroding spiritual values.

In talking about the upcoming film, Iwanyk said in a statement, “MONKEY MAN is a vibrant, thrilling and above all entertaining story and we are excited to be teaming up with Dev, who has great creative instincts making him a natural director.” To which Alex Walton, EVP, International Film Sales and Distribution at Endeavor Content added, “MONKEY MAN is filled with vivid characters and thrilling action scenes and Dev’s precise vision of a stylized and highly energetic genre film will appeal to audiences around the world.”

Production on the project is scheduled to begin in the Spring of 2019 in Mumbai, with 87Eleven in charge of the action thriller's choreogrpahy. If your spider-sense is tingling at the mention of that team, it's because they're the fisticuff-aficionados who helped orchestrate the pulse-pounding action found in JOHN WICK 1, 2, and 3, as well as ATOMIC BLONDE. So yeah, you're likely to want to check this one out.

We'll be sure to keep you informed about this intriguing project, as Dev Patel and 87Eleven sounds like a winning combination to me, personally.