Theo James says that The Monkey is an R-rated “family movie.”

The Monkey is a forthcoming horror movie releasing in February that is directed by Longleg’s Osgood Perkins. Based on the 1980 short story by Stephen King, the film stars James, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, and more.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly about the film, James discussed what audiences can expect when walking into the theater to see The Monkey.

What did Theo James say about The Monkey?

“[Perkins] wanted to make a family movie, but an R-rated one,” James said. “It’s hyper dark, but also it has heart to it, and it’s really funny.”

Perkins also spoke about the film, saying he deliberately wanted to make a comedy when tackling The Monkey.

“What if it’s a comedy?” Perkins said. “Here’s this monkey that doesn’t do anything. It’s not M3GAN. It doesn’t attack. It’s evil just in its existence. Things happen around it for no better reason than they do. Its presence makes people die in insane ways.”

He continued, “I’ve had people die in truly, deeply insane ways. Everybody dies whether there’s a monkey or not. What if you could do this with a smile — process the fact that everybody dies? And what an insane, surrealist notion, dude! You will die; we’ll all die. That’s crazy sh—. To do that as a comedy felt very apropos.”

The Monkey also stars Colin O’Brien, Rohan Campbell, and Sarah Levy. The screenplay was written by Perkins.

The logline for the movie reads, “When twin brothers Bill and Hal find their father’s old monkey toy in the attic, a series of gruesome deaths start. The siblings decide to throw the toy away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years.”

The Monkey will be released in United States theaters on February 21, 2025, from Neon.