Kumail Nanjiani to make directing debut with horror movie Howl
After starring in several Hollywood blockbusters, Kumail Nanjiani is to move behind the camera and make his directing debut with the upcoming horror film Howl.
Kumail Nanjiani is to make his directing debut with the horror movie Howl.
After starring in the likes of Marvel’s Eternals and The Big Sick, the 47-year-old comedian has confirmed he will be moving behind the camera to helm his own spooky flick.
During an appearance on the Comedy Means Business podcast, Nanjiani said: “[Directing] was like this vague thing I wanted to do.
“But it wasn’t until I read this script that came to me to act in that I was like, ‘Okay, I don’t know if I know how to direct, but I think I know how to direct this movie. That’s kind of how it happened. I just read the right the thing.
“The first thing I want to do is a genre thing. Emily [V. Gordon, wife] and I are huge genre fans. We watch every sci-fi movie. We watch every horror movie.
“It wasn’t like I was specifically looking to direct a horror movie or anything; it was just this movie. I get this movie. It’s got a very specific tone, and I was like, ‘I see this tone in my head. I know exactly how this should be.’”
The Fallout star added he knew he wouldn’t be the first comedian to take the plunge into the horror genre.
He said: “Obviously there’s a been a lot of comedians pivoting into making horror movies recently, and it’s been successful.
“Obviously Jordan Peele, Josh Ruben, Zach Cregger, all these people come from comedy and have made great horror. So I think that their track record has helped me a little bit in making this pivot.”
While plot details about Howl are unknown, the movie is aiming to enter production in 2026.
Nanjiani’s production company Winter Coat Films is to produce Howl alongside his wife Emily V. Gordon and Dani Melia.
Nanjiani’s biggest onscreen project came in 2021 with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) blockbuster Eternals.
In the film, Sersi (Gemma Chan), Ikaris (Richard Madden), Kingo (Nanjiani) and their fellow Eternals reunite on Earth to protect humanity after thousands of years living in secret.
As the truth behind their mission and the Celestials is revealed, the team’s bonds fracture and their loyalty to each other is put to the ultimate test.
The film also starred Kit Harington as Black Knight, Barry Keoghan as Druig and Angelina Jolie as Thena.
When Eternals released in November 2021, the movie underperformed at the box office - grossing $402.1 million worldwide against a production budget of $236.2 million.
Nanjiani recently revealed he had signed on to appear in six Marvel movies, but plans changed after Eternals flopped - leaving the actor needing therapy.
Speaking on the Working It Out podcast, he said: “I talked about how I was in this big movie. It came out right after Covid, so I had a year and a half at home to just be like, ‘Oh, when this thing comes out!’
“But then it came out and it got really bad reviews and it didn’t do that well. It shattered me too much. That’s when I was like, ‘Oh I need to go to therapy to figure this out.’
“I was like, ‘Oh, this is going to be my job for the next 10 years’.
“I signed on for six movies. I signed on for a video game. I signed on for a theme park ride. They make you sign up for all this stuff. And you’re like, ‘This is the next 10 years of my life, so I’ll be doing Marvel movies every year and, in between, I’ll do my own little things, whatever I want to do.’ And then none of that happened.”
