Fans of horror master Jordan Peele are eagerly anticipating his latest sci-fi thriller, “Nope,” and Bay Area viewers were all over the new trailer released on Thursday when they discovered the filmmaker had brought a beloved local retail chain back from the dead (at least for the big screen).
“Nope” follows Otis Jr. (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald Haywood (Keke Palmer), siblings at the helm of a deserted California ranch where their late father trained horses for Hollywood movies prior to his mysterious death. But when objects start to fall from the sky and other strange events occur, they attempt to cash in on the unexplained phenomenon and record evidence of suspected extraterrestrial activity with the help of — who else? — Fry’s Electronics employee Angel Torres (Brandon Perea) and skilled filmmaker Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott).
“This could be an opportunity. I’m talking rich and famous for life,” Palmer says to a dubious Kaluuya as they walk through the aisles of the now-defunct store in the trailer.
“There’s plenty of videos of flying s—t online,” Kaluuya responds.
“Ain’t nobody going to get what we going to get,” Palmer insists. “The money shot. Undeniable proof of aliens on camera.”
Check out the full trailer below:
Founded in Silicon Valley in 1985, Fry’s Electronics announced it would close all 30 of its existing locations in February 2021, and filming for “Nope” was underway later that summer. The store in the trailer bears the unmistakable (and apropos) 1950s sci-fi theme of the Burbank outpost, though it’s unclear whether the movie was actually filmed there or if the interior was replicated on a Los Angeles sound stage. (SFGATE reached out to Universal for confirmation but did not hear back by time of publication.)
It’s not the first time one of Peele’s films has had a striking Bay Area connection. His critically acclaimed hit “Us” showed off the dark side of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, while the score featured Oakland rap duo Luniz’s “I Got 5 on it.” And last year, Nia DaCosta’s remake of “Candyman” produced by Peele starred Oakland-raised actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
“Nope” premieres in theaters July 22.
SFGATE food reporter Madeline Wells contributed to this report.
