Jordan Peele Reveals Reason For Black Family In ‘Us,’ Explains Reason For Luniz ‘I Got Five On It’ Theme Song

Jordan Peele shocked fans on Christmas Day with the release of the trailer for his new film Us. Like his highly-successful film Get Out, Jordan Peele’s Us already has fans on the edge of their seats. The two-minute trailer has garnered an array of reactions and many fans have tons of unanswered questions. Now, Jordan Peele is answering one of the most frequently asked questions about the upcoming film. According to the Jasmine Brand, Jordan Peele recently conducted an interview where he discussed the film.

One of the most distinctive aspects of the film centers on the casting. Jordan Peele featured an all African-American cast – which includes Black Panther stars Winston Duke and Lupita Nyong’o – for the lead family. Many of the speculative reports about the upcoming film already hint at the symbolism behind the casting but now Jordan Peele is weighing in to explain the reason for the casting. Peele discussed the idea of “embracing cinematic uncharted territory.”

“I can’t think of a horror movie of this nature with a family in the center of it that uses a black family. So I knew just by putting an African-American family in the lead role, already we would be exploring cinematic uncharted territory.”

He went on to reveal some of the films and famous producers he personally admires for the onscreen family dynamics they’ve depicted. “I love films like Poltergeist, I love The Shining, The Amityville Horror and I love Amblin films, those Spielberg films that brought extraordinary situations to a family unit,” Peele said.

Another interesting aspect of the film trailer is the theme song. For those who haven’t seen the trailer, Jordan Peele selected the ’90s rap classic “I Got Five On It” by The Luniz. While the famous song is one that still keeps listeners nodding their heads, there are seemingly creepy elements in the song’s melody and Jordan Peele has brought those elements to life in his new film.

After hearing the song in the film trailer, many fans have admitted they’ll likely never feel the same way about the song again. So, why did Jordan Peele pick the classic rap track? He explained that and also said that it was actually a very simple decision. Jordan Peele revealed why he, personally, likes the song and noted the song’s “inherent cryptic energy,” noting the obvious creepiness of it.

“I love songs that have a great feeling but also have a haunting element to them and I feel like the beat in that song has this inherent cryptic energy.”

He added, “It’s just a dope track.”

In less than 24 hours, the Us trailer has caught the attention of millions of viewers. Jordan Peele is already being praised for the film and although viewers will still have to wait months to actually see the film, the anticipation is already mounting. Jordan Peele’s Us is set to hit theaters nationwide on March 15, 2019.