MUMBAI: Fans of Jordan Peele and Monkeypaw Productions are in for an intense identity match - Universal Pictures India (Distributed by WarnerBros. Discovery) is presenting HIM, set to release on 19th September, 2025 . Directed by Justin Tipping , the film explores the dark, chilling side of professional athletics faced by individuals in pursuit of being the ‘Greatest of All Time’.
Set in a twisted version of modern professional football, the film also delves into the ancient roots of the 21st century entertainment obsession. In medieval England, as far back as the 9th century, the pre-Lent period known as Shrovetide would feature “mob football” games that would pit one team of men against the other in a brutal battle for a ball. The film taps into subterranean layers within the field of horror - the title evokes a sense of meaning and history lying beneath it. Referring to someone as “Him” is a linguistic evolution of referring to someone as “The Man,” “The Guy,” or more recently, “The G.O.A.T.” (The Greatest of All Time).
Director Justin Tipping sees HIM as a significant critique of the mass-market sports culture and the multiple pounds of flesh one demands from their heroes. “Football is body horror,” Tipping says. “For me, this is a story about what happens when the athlete becomes a commodity and suddenly you are just a warm body being moved around by institutions that are there to drive profit.”
The script’s special characteristics presented Monkeypaw with the opportunity to work with a director who had been on the company’s radar for years. Tipping , a Filipino American filmmaker from Oakland, California, had made an independent film in 2016. His film Kicks left a lasting impression with several people at Monkeypaw, Jordan Peele himself among them.
“Justin is an incredible visionary,” Peele said . “There is so much striking imagery in HIM that you will never see in another film, and to that,” Peele continues to speak about how Tipping and his team have added numerous cinematic layers to the project, right from the music to the cinematography and the editing. “Above anything else, Justin is cool, and he has this ability to capture that over-the-top polish of pro football, while also allowing this creepy sense of humor to sneak in underneath it. He is a one-of-a-kind filmmaker, and this film is like nothing I have ever seen.”
Watch what happens when a sportsperson chases the title of the ‘Greatest of All Time’ - HIM only in cinemas 19th September, 2025!
HIM Trailer:
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