The Monkey: Release date, cast, plot, and more about the upcoming movie

The Monkey is the newest venture of director Osgood Perkins, who was hailed for his work in Longlegs, one of the best indie horror-thrillers of 2024. This new movie is yet another addition to the horror genre in Perkins' portfolio.

Based on Stephen King's short story of the same name, the film is set to hit theaters on February 21, 2025. This horror comedy is expected to be as horrifying as Perkins' last one (Longlegs), which successfully managed to capture the attention of cinephiles and film critics.

Theo James plays the lead in the movie. He is widely known for his role in the show The White Lotus. Other notable cast members include Elijah Wood and Tatiana Maslany. Meanwhile, the creative force behind this movie includes producer James Wan.

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All about the movie The Monkey

As previously mentioned, The Monkey is one of Stephen King's many classical gems. In the movie, twin brothers Hal and Bill Shelburn come across a vintage monkey toy that their father owns in the attic. After witnessing a string of deaths, they realize that the monkey is cursed.

Hal and Bill leave behind the monkey so that they can stop it from causing any further damage. However, fate has other plans for them. History repeats itself as the monkey becomes the reason behind another string of deaths twenty-five years after the first one. The brothers have no choice but to join forces again to stop the monkey's curse from taking more lives.

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The cast of The Monkey

A still from the film (Image via NEON)

The Gentlemen fame Theo James will be playing the roles of the twin brothers, Hal and Bill Shelburn. Elijah Wood, best known for his role in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings, will appear as Ted Hammerman. Tatiana Maslany will be starring as Hal and Bill's mother, Lois Shelburn.

Other members of the cast are:

• Severance star Adam Scott
• Sweet Tooth fame Christian Convery
• Schitt's Creek's Sarah Levy
• Dear Edward fame Colin O'Brien
• The Hardy Boys star Rohan Campbell

Director Osgood 'Oz' Perkins will also appear in the film. Perkins has previously starred in Reese Witherspoon's Legally Blonde, Jordan Peele's Nope, and even had a small role in J. J. Abrams' Star Trek.

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Is there a trailer for the film?

In August 2024, NEON released a 44-second teaser trailer that captured the movie's themes well without giving away too much about the plot. A bloody Theo James can be seen looking at the aftermath of the toy monkey's curse being unleashed.

You can watch the trailer here:

Last month, NEON dropped the red band trailer for the film, giving viewers a closer look at what it has in store.

While the horror comedy is set to release later this month, it was previously screened in January at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre as part of Beyond Fest.

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Direction and production of The Monkey

A still from the film (Image via NEON)

As mentioned above, Osgood Perkins is the director of the movie. He has also adapted the screenplay from Stephen King's short story. James Wan, widely known for his expertise in the horror genre, has produced this film alongside Michael Clear, Dave Caplan, Chris Ferguson, and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones.

According to Vulture, the film is R-rated and has a production budget of $10–11 million. This makes it the most expensive film that Perkins has ever made.

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The film will be in theaters from February 21.