Marlon Wayans is an unusual casting choice for Justin Tipping’s upcoming horror drama, Him. But that doesn’t deter the comedy legend from delivering an impressive performance in his role as Isaiah White, certainly his best since Darren Aronofsky‘s 2000 blood-curdling horror drama, Requiem for a Dream.
What’s even better is that Wayans’ casting was inspired by a real-life incident that changed the director’s life. In July 2000, Tipping was jumped by ten kids for his Nike sneakers while the then-15-year-old was on his way to watch Scary Movie. Ironically, Wayans starred in that seminal horror parody, making their collaboration on Him a full-circle moment for Tipping.
After learning about the eerie story in a letter sent by Tipping to woo Wayans into doing the film, the actor quipped: ‘Welp, I’m glad you got your a** beat because here we are.’ [The Hollywood Reporter]
Marlon Wayans’ New Film Blends Psychological Horror With Sports Drama
Horror has just found a niche new trope as it merges psychological body horror with intense sports drama. In the Jordan Peele-produced upcoming film, Him, Marlon Wayans gets cast as a football legend at the tail end of his iconic career run, when he takes on an aspiring new rising star under his wing.
What starts off as a typically generic mentor-mentee saga of an underdog champion rising against all odds in the vein of Ted Lasso and Wrexham quickly turns into a dark, spiraling, harrowing tale of supernatural proportions. Like all Jordan Peele films, nothing is as it seems in this genre-bending body horror drama that serves up sports as a glossy backdrop for an unsettling flick.
Justin Tipping’s Him explores the nightmarish cost of chasing dreams. In it, Marlon Wayans’ Isaiah White is the definitive GOAT of pro football who agrees to train Cameron “Cam” Cade (Tyriq Withers) in an isolated compound after the latter’s prospects in the sport are destroyed due to brain trauma from a senseless attack.
Tipping describes the plot as a tale about the “two main characters and their dynamic as these two binary stars that feed off each other through the film.” [THR]
Every Cult-Classic Horror Film That Inspired the Plot of HIM
In his interview with The Hollywood Reporter, director Justin Tipping listed a slew of iconic horror classics as reference points for the plot and character building in Him.
The body horror was already there. It’s baked into the DNA of the game itself. So I came in with how it was created and how it’s modeled after the military. I referenced Full Metal Jacket and Apocalypse Now when talking about the emotional arcs of the characters. And they were like, “What!?” It had nothing to do with horror, but that’s what I wanted to do with the characters.
However, Stanley Kubrick‘s Full Metal Jacket (1987) and Francis Ford Coppola‘s Apocalypse Now (1979) went only so far to help fine-tune the character arcs in Tipping’s film. Beyond these two classics, the director also explored more modern films to shape the narrative tone and structure of Him.
To service the sports and horror audiences at the same time, on the heels of the game’s body horror, I leaned into the psychohorror opportunities. I talked about The Shining and Jacob’s Ladder. I also talked about Black Swan and Suspiria, but Alien is my favorite horror movie. So the groundwork was already laid out, and it is essentially Nosferatu too.
Most of the films that Tipping mentioned are Oscar-winning classics of the genre that have left a lasting impact on Hollywood and every generation of actors and filmmakers that followed.
Below is a table listing all the important details of Marlon Wayans’ new film:
How many of the above cult-classics from Tipping’s list are you familiar with? Share your favorite Marlon Wayans role with us in the comments below.
Him will premiere theatrically on September 19, 2025.
