There are just some universes that lend themselves better to the creation of fan theories than others. Jordan Peele’s body of work is one such canon that falls precisely into that wheelhouse, and his 2022 movie release Nope is already inspiring interesting interpretations. However, when it comes to his previous works, there’s a theory pertaining to Us that Peele can’t totally support, even though he loves to keep an open mind.
The Peeleverse Theory That Jordan Peele Can’t Totally Get Behind
Sitting down with ReelBlend co-host Jake Hamilton, Peele was challenged to single out a theory about his work that he felt was categorically incorrect. While the Nope director did have an answer, he did preface his response with a caveat that he does keep an open mind in terms of other people’s interpretations. That said, here’s the Us theory that Jordan Peele things is intriguing, but wrong:
You know, I do love anything that anyone comes up with. I do not like to discern. There was that theory that Jason, the kid from Us was tethered and I thought that was a great mythology, but I just could not back that up with an actual stamp of approval from the Peeleverse.
The short version of what Jordan Peele is talking about is the theory that in Us’s final moments, there’s a question of whether or Jason (Evan Alex) is his actual self or has been replaced by his Tethered double, Pluto. It’s a theory that was inspired by the twist ending to Us revealing that Tethered clone Red (Lupita Nyong’o) actually switched places with her surface counterpart, Adelaide, back in their childhood.
All it took was one smile between Adelaide and Jason to make people think that the young boy wasn’t quite himself. However, as you can read above, that’s a theory that Jordan Peele has given a firm, but polite “nope.” It’s not the only question that he’s shut down about Us either, as Peele previously declined further clarifying the fate of the Tethered. Don’t take that as a sign to stop digging into Peele’s works though, since the director does love the conversations his work inspires.
Why Jordan Peele Digs All Of The Fan Theory Conversations Around His Movies
Knowing the kind of storyteller that Jordan Peele is, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that he would enjoy the discourse surrounding Nope, or any of his previous films. The man himself even set out to tell a story about spectacle in his current summer blockbuster, which is pretty well reflected in the ending to Nope. While the answers may not always be correct, and some conclusions hold more water than others, Peele admitted that sometimes these conversations help him do his job, saying:
People want to participate. One of the great things about getting to make movies now is that you get to have a conversation with people. Sometimes it sucks. But quite often, I get the inspiration for what I’m going to do next out of the conversation that I have with my fans.
All of the theories and critical discussion around Nope have already kicked off to a pretty wide extent. We’re going to be hearing quite a few Peeleverse theories for some time, and this film in particular is wide open to interpretation. Thanks to the unique structure of its story, you shouldn’t expect the precise clue-laden foreshadowing of Get Out. We won’t spoil anything here, as if you want to experience the spectacle that is Nope for yourself, the film is currently playing in theaters.