Boots Riley Says Donald Glover and Jordan Peele Were on the 'Sorry to Bother You' Shortlist

'Sorry to Bother You' writer/director Boots Riley reveals that both Donald Glover and Jordan Peele were originally in consideration for the film's lead.

October 8, 2018

Both Donald GloverandJordan Peele were in consideration for the Sorry to Bother You lead, as revealed by writer/director Boots Riley over the weekend.

"The first person of note that was helping us get financing, who said they wanted to play the lead, was actually Jordan Peele," Riley told Doreen St. Félix at the Directors Guild theater Saturday, according toVulture. "Then he directed Get Out and was like, 'I don't want to act anymore.'"

Next up was Glover, who ultimately had multiple reasons for eventually missing out on the role. "The next person was Donald Glover, and he said, 'But I might get this job in Star Wars, and maybe you can wait until after that and after Atlanta season two,'" Riley recalled. "I was like, 'We don't know what's going to happen to the money by then.'"

Literally minutes later, Riley got a call from the manager of Glover's Atlanta collaborator Lakeith Stanfield urging him to take a meeting. As you hopefully now by know because you've made a point to catch what is quite inarguably one of the year's best and most surprisingly inventive films, Stanfield got the part.

Sorry to Bother You hits digital outlets (i.e. iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, etc.) this Tuesday, meaning you'll have practically zero excuses for skipping it. Per Riley, there will be no director's cut due to the fact that the original version is the director's cut.