How Dev Patel got 'Monkey Man,' his directorial debut beset by challenges, to the finish line

Oscar-nominated actor Dev Patel is making his feature directorial and screenwriting debut with the action thriller, “Monkey Man.” The film was inspired by the Hindu deity Hanuman and centers on a character named Kid who makes a living working in an underground fight club and who later seeks to avenge his mother’s horrific death by infiltrating the elite class. Patel says he first pitched the film to financiers as a “revenge film about faith” and wanted to blend the action genre with social commentary that spoke to India's caste system. The film is executive produced by Oscar-winning writer and director Jordan Peele.