The “rabid chimp” horror film Primate is set to reach theatres on January 9, 2026, courtesy of Paramount Pictures – and just one week out from that date, the Motion Picture Association ratings board has announced that the film has earned an R rating for strong bloody violent content, gore, language, and some drug use.
Cast and Synopsis
At the helm of Primate is genre regular Johannes Roberts, who has previously directed Hellbreeder, Darkhunters, Forest of the Damned, F, Roadkill, Storage 24, The Other Side of the Door, 47 Meters Down, The Strangers: Prey at Night, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, and Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. He also contributed a segment to the horror anthology V/H/S/99. Roberts has written the Primate screenplay with his frequent collaborator Ernest Riera. In this one, a group of friends’ tropical vacation turns into a terrifying, primal tale of horror and survival.
Oscar-winner Troy Kotsur (CODA) stars alongside Johnny Sequoyah (Dexter: New Blood), Jessica Alexander (Amadeus), Victoria Wyant (My Fault: London), Benjamin Cheng (d’ILLUSION: The Houdini Musical), Gia Hunter (Sherlock and Daughter), Miguel Torres Umba (National Theatre co-production Kin), Kae Alexander (Ready Player One), Tienne Simon (Grime Kids), Charlie Mann (Lazarus), newcomer Amina Abdi, and Albert Magashi (National Theatre Live: Dear England).
A while back, former DC Films boss Walter Hamada signed a first-look deal with Paramount Pictures, the idea being that he would become, as Deadline put it, “the architect of Paramount’s mainstream horror genre pod, with the mission to release several low- to mid-budget films per year across theatrical and streaming.” Primate is part of Hamada’s horror-minded efforts at Paramount, and he is producing the film through his 18hz production company alongside John Hodges and Bradley Pilz. Roberts serves as an executive producer with Vicki Dee Rock, Nathan Samdahl, Pete Chiappetta, Anthony Tittanegro, and Andrew Lary.
Bloodbath of Fun
If you’d like more information on Primate, you can check out the 8/10 review from JoBlo’s own Mike Holtz at THIS LINK. He described the film as “an unapologetic bloodbath of fun” that’s about a rabies-crazed chimp. Given that “bloodbath of fun” description, it’s no surprise to hear that the movie has been given an R rating.
Are you looking forward to Primate, and are you glad to hear the reasons given for its R rating? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
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What’s Not Allowed