Dev Patel’s second outing as director following Monkey Man, The Peasant, has officially been picked up by A24 for worldwide distribution in a deal that reports are pegging around $30 million.
The Peasant was part of the 2023 Black List, the annual survey of the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood. Said screenplay is by both Patel and Will Dunn, who wrote the story and script for the final episode of Ms. Marvel. It seems as if the success of Monkey Man – which easily made back its budget and received wide acclaim – helped get it off of that list and into production. The Peasant is produced by Thunder Road Pictures.
As for plot details, the Black List had the following blurb for The Peasant: “In the 14th Century, a lone shepherd rages against a company of mercenary knights after they ransack his peaceful peasant community, proving that he is more than he seems.” It has also been described as combining elements from Braveheart, John Wick and the legend of King Arthur. Patel has some experience in the latter field, having led David Lowery’s The Green Knight in 2021.
Dev Patel has been on a hot streak as of late. In addition to The Green Knight and Monkey Man, he fit nicely in the Wes Anderson stable with The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar and starred in thriller Rabbit Trap alongside Rosy McEwen.
Considering how impressive his directorial debut was, we have high hopes already for The Peasant. On Monkey Man, Patel aimed to go all out, so we expect the same here. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he said, “There were certain punches I didn’t want to pull,. Do you know what I mean? There were certain things in the film that I knew would be divisive. There were certain points I wanted to make about a country I love very, very much. There are parts of a culture that I love and that I wanted to share, and that criticizing other aspects of it might ruffle feathers. Without those elements … it wouldn’t be the movie I wanted to make. Lots of other stars could make that movie. I just couldn’t.”
What do you hope to see in The Peasant? Where do you see Dev Patels’ directing career going?
