Uganda is set to host the African premiere of Nope, the upcoming sci-fi horror in which Ugandan-British award-winning actor, Daniel Kaluuya stars, if a correspondence between Kaluuya’s team and the Ugandan government is anything to go by.
Nope, which is directed, written, and produced by Jordan Peele is scheduled to be released in theaters in the U.S. on July 22, by Universal Pictures.
In the movie, Kaluuya (as OJ Haywood) leads a cast that includes Keke Palmer (as Emerald Haywood) and Steven Yeun (Ricky “Jupe” Park).
The story follows siblings OJ and Emerald who come into contact with a mysterious unidentified flying object that led to the death of their father.
Asked recently about what audiences can expect when the movie hits theaters, Kaluuya described it as “larger than life,” saying that when you see certain things on screen, they’ll just make you go, “Whoa.”
“Jordan’s really done it,” Kaluuya said, adding, “I think you’ll be dazzled with what he’s made.”
Plugged understands that Kampala is lined on the list of locations where Universal Pictures is set to premiere Nope globally, the others being Hollywood, London, Rome and Berlin.
However, it appears the actual dates for Kampala are yet to be locked in, but it will be some time in August.
Kaluuya will be coming to Kampala for the premiere along with some other members of the cast. The particular names of the cast and representatives from Universal are yet to be confirmed.
Kaluuya’s office has been working with the office of the Senior Presidential Advisor Diaspora Affairs, under the President’s Office, in Kampala to make it happen.
But for this project to be sealed, Media Council of Uganda, the body responsible to set the ratings for the movie as well as setting the official release date, has to confirm the dates.
“My question for you is, would you please be able to assist us with contacting this official body so we can coordinate the release date with the date of the premiere? This is essential in order to make the event as timely, special and of course official as possible as this is the protocol for major Hollywood movie releases,” a rep from Kaluuya’s office in Los Angeles writes in a July 7, 2022 letter obtained by Plugged.
The letter is addressed to the office of the Senior Presidential Advisor Diaspora Affairs in the President’s Office.
Kaluuya’s team is considering August 17 or 18 as these are the dates Universal Pictures has zeroed on for the Kampala premiere.
“As this is next month, we really need to put plans into motion as soon as possible,” the letter adds.
A local source who is versed with the project told Plugged that the Kampala premiere had initially been scheduled for this month (July) only to be pushed as Kaluuya’s team was still involved in shootings and other premieres elsewhere.
Having Kampala as part of the global premieres “is of utmost importance to all of us, especially to Mr Kaluuya”, the actor’s rep stresses in the correspondence.
Born in London to Ugandan immigrant parents, Kaluuya, 33, grew up with his mother, Damalie Namusoke and an older sister on a housing project in Camden, North London.
Speaking about his upbringing previously, he said: “My mum is from Uganda. She came to London to give birth to me. I lived in hostels until I was two, and then she got a home in Camden, where I grew up. She was on benefits for a long while.”
Kaluuya has landed major roles on screen in the recent past including in the 2018 American superhero film Black Panther where he played W’Kabi, a confidant to T’Challa (the King of Wakanda) and his best friend who is the head of security for the Border Tribe, serving as the first line of defense for Wakanda.
Last year, Kaluuya made it to TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people (in the world) of 2021.
MORE: Ugandan-British Actor, Daniel Kaluuya among TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2021
In April of the same year, he had won the Academy Award for best supporting actor for his portrayal of Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah, beating out his co-star, Lakeith Stanfield, who was also nominated in the category.
In the same year, Judas and the Black Messiah also won Kaluuya Best Supporting Actor in the Golden Globe Awards, Outstanding Performance by Male Actor in the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Best Supporting Actor in the Critics Choice Awards, and Best Actor in a Supporting Role in the BAFTA Film Awards.
Impact
While he admits a premiere of a Hollywood movie like Nope would be a big deal for Uganda, Ugandan award-winning Director and Producer, Mathew Nabwiso, is quick to add it should have real impact for the film industry, if it is to be considered a success.
“It’s a big deal for the country. Though at the end of the day, I would want to know, who is being invited for the premiere and why. Is it filmmakers, is it socialites, is it government people? It needs to make sense. If it’s a movie premiere, filmmakers should be the first to know,” Nabwiso told Plugged on Tuesday.
“We need to know; are there big people coming from Universal? Will Ugandan filmmakers get to interact with these people and at what level?”
He says the only way this would have meaningful value is if there is an interaction between the Producers and actors so they can exchange ideas and acquire knowledge.
“One of our biggest challenges is distribution. We have local stories that have not been told anywhere in the world. If we got contacts or information, that would give us a lot of mileage. You can’t put a tag to it per se but distribution of our local films globally is a big deal,” adds Nabwiso, the Producer and Director of Sanyu drama series.
