Monkeypaw Productions

Overview

Monkeypaw Productions is the production company founded by Jordan Peele in 2012. The company has become one of the most influential forces in contemporary genre filmmaking, producing horror and thriller projects that combine social commentary with visceral entertainment. Monkeypaw operates from Los Angeles and maintains an overall deal with Universal Pictures that covers film, television, and digital content.

Peele's directorial debut Get Out (2017), produced through Monkeypaw and Blumhouse, earned $255 million worldwide on a $4.5 million budget and won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The film redefined what "elevated horror" could achieve commercially and critically, and established Monkeypaw as a brand synonymous with smart, socially engaged genre storytelling.

History

Jordan Peele founded Monkeypaw Productions in 2012 while still best known as one half of the comedy duo Key and Peele. The company's pivot from comedy to horror came with Get Out (2017), which Peele wrote and directed. The film's massive success led to a first-look deal with Universal Pictures and positioned Monkeypaw as a major production banner.

Subsequent productions include Us (2019), Candyman (2021, directed by Nia DaCosta), Nope (2022), and the rebooted The Twilight Zone television series (2019-2020) for CBS All Access. Monkeypaw also produced Wendell and Wild (2022), a stop-motion animated film directed by Henry Selick for Netflix, and Hunters (2020-2023) for Amazon Prime Video.

Monkeypaw's Universal deal gives the company significant resources for development and production. Peele's ability to attract A-list talent (Daniel Kaluuya, Lupita Nyong'o, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun) to mid-budget genre films has demonstrated that original horror properties can compete commercially with franchise tentpoles.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Monkeypaw develops projects internally and acquires material through agent submissions. The company prioritizes genre projects with strong social themes, distinctive visual identities, and commercial potential. Peele's involvement as a producer (and occasionally director) attracts talent and financing that other genre-focused production companies cannot access.

For emerging horror and thriller filmmakers, Monkeypaw represents an aspirational production partner that values both creative vision and audience engagement. The company's track record demonstrates that socially conscious genre filmmaking can achieve mainstream commercial success.

See Also

For understanding how genre filmmaking and production models work, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model revenue projections for genre releases, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator.