Jordan Peele Named CinemaCon Director of the Year

Thanks in large part to ‘Get Out,’ his breakout hit of the year, Jordan Peele will receive the CinemaCon Director of the Year award.

via Page Six:

Peele will be presented with the honor at the CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards ceremony, which takes place March 30 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. “Get Out” has grossed over $133 million domestically in less than four weeks.

“With the phenomenon known as ‘Get Out,’” Jordan Peele has instantaneously become a force to reckon with as a gifted and enormously talented director and filmmaker,” said Mitch Neuhauser, managing director of CinemaCon. “He has audiences and critics around the globe enamored and spellbound, dare I say hypnotized, with his wildly inventive directorial debut, and we are ecstatic to be honoring him as this year’s ‘Director of the Year.’”

“Get Out,” a speculative thriller from Blumhouse, centers on a young African-American man (played by Daniel Kaluuya) visiting his white girlfriend’s family estate and becoming ensnared in the sinister real reason for the invitation. It’s Peele’s feature debut as a director.

“Get Out” is produced by Blumhouse’s Jason Blum, as well as Sean McKittrick, Edward H. Hamm Jr. and Peele. The film also stars Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener, Caleb Landry Jones, and Lil Rey Howery.

Peele also recurred on the FX series “Fargo,” was a series regular on FOX’s “MADtv” and received an Emmy Award nomination for his music video “Sad Fitty Cent.” Peele starred in the New Line feature “Keanu,” alongside Keegan-Michael Key, which Peele also produced and co-wrote with Alex Rubens. Peele is also executive producing the new Tracy Morgan comedy show for TBS.

Congrats Jordan!