Marlon Wayans is getting back in the scary movie game with “Him.” Wayans acts as an elusive former NFL star who preys on a quarterback, played by real life former college wide-receiver and recent “I Know What You Did Last Summer” star Tyriq Withers, whose professional is cut short.
Oscar winner Jordan Peele‘s Monkeypaw Productions is behind the feature that is billed to be a “chilling journey into the inner sanctum of fame, idolatry, and the pursuit of excellence at any cost.”
The film‘s official synopsis reads: “What would you sacrifice to become the greatest of all time? ‘Him’ stars former college wide-receiver Tyriq Withers as Cameron Cade, a rising-star quarterback who has devoted his life, and identity, to football. On the eve of professional football’s annual scouting Combine, Cam is attacked by an unhinged fan and suffers a potentially career-ending brain trauma. Just when all seems lost, Cam receives a lifeline when his hero, Isaiah White (Wayans), a legendary eight-time Championship quarterback and cultural megastar, offers to train Cam at Isaiah’s isolated compound that he shares with his celebrity influencer wife, Elsie White (Julia Fox). But as Cam’s training accelerates, Isaiah’s charisma begins to curdle into something darker, sending his protégé down a disorienting rabbit hole that may cost him more than he ever bargained for.”
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Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies, MMA heavyweight fighter Maurice Greene, hip hop artist Guapdad 4000, and Grammy nominee Tierra Whack co-star. Justin Tipping directs from Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie’s Black List screenplay; Tipping is also credited as a co-writer on the final version.
Peele is producing “Him,” along with Ian Cooper, Win Rosenfeld, and Jamal M. Watson for Monkeypaw Productions. David Kern and Monkeypaw’s Kate Oh executive produce. Universal announced a five-year deal with Peele and Monkeypaw in 2019.
Peele’s own fourth feature is in the works, with the director teasing that it’s his “favorite movie” yet. “I do feel like my next project is clear to me,” Peele said during podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” in 2024, “and I’m psyched that I have another film that, you know, could be my favorite movie if I make it right.”
Universal Pictures will release “Him” in theaters September 19. Check out the trailer below.
