While Us, the upcoming thriller from Get Out filmmaker Jordan Peele, is not nominally a sequel to the horror mega-hit, fans online are looking to the just-released trailer and thinking that they see enough similarities to assume that the two movies share a space.
Videos by ComicBook.com
That’s right, baby — shared universe time!
Since Marvel Studios broke big, everyone has wanted a shared universe to connect their big tentpole films, effectively pressuring consumers into seeing movies that they might be on the fence about, since it might have bearing on concepts and characters that they love from other movies.
Warner Bros. finally rolled out their own shared universe of DC Comics movies, almost 20 years after George Clooney’s Batman joked about Superman working alone and got fans’ tongues wagging — and almost thirty years after The Incredible Hulk Returns united the Hulk with Thor, the God of Thunder in live action for the first time.
Other shared universes include the Transformers movies, which will reportedly tie in with other Hasbro brands (no word on whether My Little Pony: The Movie happens in the same universe as Bumblebee — yet!); Universal’s failed Dark Universe which was supposed to tie together various horror brands; and the world that will see Godzilla and King Kong fight in an upcoming movie from Universal and Legendary.
If Peele follows through with a shared universe, he will not be the first smaller-scale project to do so; indie comics genius Terry Moore has built a shared universe through his comics, from Strangers in Paradise through Echo, Rachel Rising, and Motor Girl.
He is in good company; Kevin Smith built a “View Askewniverse” that united the continuity of his indie comedies in the ’90s — two of which were not even distributed by the same studio as the others. And going to TV, the producers of Cheers and Wings shared characters long before Frasier came along. And let’s not get into the whole Tommy Westphall Universe theory.
In any event, here are some of our favorite responses to the Us trailer as they pertain to the idea of a shared universe with Get Out:
Kevin McCarthy
“I’ve put some Easter Eggs in there and I’ll probably continue to weave in the universe in my next movie.”
— Kevin McCarthy (@KevinMcCarthyTV) December 26, 2018
Looking back at my interview with @JordanPeele for GET OUT.
Are US and GET OUT in same universe? I’ve watched the US trailer 7 times looking for clues. Incredible trailer. pic.twitter.com/pafl0cKwYB
Probably the most compelling evidence for a shared universe within Jordan Peele’s movies comes from Kevin McCarthy, a film journalist who talked to Peele about Get Out and got the following quote:
“I’ve put some Easter Eggs in there and I’ll probably continue to weave in the universe in my next movie.”
As you can see above, McCarthy chimed in with the video clip from that interview when the Us trailer dropped.
“Messed up Events”
Why do I have a feeling that Get Out & Us exist in the same universe. Like there’s there’s this entire universe of just messed up events taking place.
— イサベラIzzie-Pez (@PradaNeo) December 26, 2018
We love the idea of these horrifying things just being called “messed up events.” We can’t help it.
MIND. BLOWN.
There are some wild theories for Jordan Peele’s new movie Us. The best one I read was that its low key a sequel to Get Out & that the family is actually white people in their new bodies and the family coming to get them is the original family escaped from the sunken place. WHAT. pic.twitter.com/sZ2PCIBtQ7
— △⃒⃘ (@ItsPaoloni) December 26, 2018
This one would be bascially akin to the reveal at the end of Split, when you found out it was secretly a stealth sequel to Unbreakable.
Who knew rabbits would be the giveaway?
Opening scene of ‘Get Out’ plays a song called ‘Run Rabbit Run’. The trailer for ‘Us’ features rabbits prominently. Shared universe? pic.twitter.com/QJrNTcJFC3
— Bryan Smith (@BSmith4Prez) December 25, 2018
…Can’t help but wonder if maybe Jordan Peele’s next movie will be a riff on Of Mice and Men.
I’ll Go you one better…
“Us”, “Get Out”, and that one clown torture skit from Key and Peele are all in the same universe.
— Add your name (@CatBatPat) December 26, 2018
Bonus points for tying in Key & Peele. In a believable way, even!
The Long Road to Terror
By now I’m sure we’ve all seen the shared imagery between “Get Out” and “Us”…..something about that long road to terror pic.twitter.com/6WoDEMyRiG
— KB (@TheKevinTheory) December 25, 2018
Okay, so maybe this one is a little more obvious than the others — but we’re just gonna say right now that if this really is a shared universe, it should literally be called “The Long Road to Terror.”
Marvel don’t own “What If…”
What if Chris Washington from Get Out arrives to save the family in #UsMovie?
— iceberg21 (@iceberg171) December 25, 2018
…Once again, that would be some Split-style craziness.
Creepy laughs
Both Georgina in Get Out and Lupita in #Us have a creepy laughing scene….#UsTrailer ? pic.twitter.com/Z9Gji0mqFL
— TO FREEDOM!!!!!?? (@icybratz_) December 26, 2018
This isn’t too profound, but we just like the observation.
Who even cares?
Why does everyone care so much about whether or not Get Out and “Us” are in the same ‘cinematic universe’? Ofc “Us” is gonna have references to Get Out, they’re both made by Jordan Peele but not everything has to be interconnected ffs
— Johnny B. Goode (@GoodfellasPizza) December 27, 2018
This is a fair take — except that it’s just fun to speculate, Johnny. It doesn’t have to be true, but at this point why not entertain the notion?
It’s all Kevin Feige’s fault.
Just wondering if Us is set in the same universe as Get Out. Thanks Marvel, I’m looking for continuality in everything now.
— Scranton Strangler (@MarcMerlot) December 26, 2018
I mean…yeah.