Dev Patel’s The Peasant: A24’s First Indian Film, Story, Cast and Release Date

Two years after Monkey Man turned him into an action star, Dev Patel is returning to the director’s chair with something even bigger. The Peasant is a medieval revenge story that people online keep describing as “John Wick meets Braveheart”. It was shot entirely in India with an Indian and international cast, and it is fast becoming one of the most anticipated A24 films.

Here is everything we know about The Peasant: the story, the cast, where it was shot and when it might release.

What is The Peasant about?

The logline is simple and brutal. In the 14th century, a lone shepherd launches a furious campaign against a company of mercenary knights who ransacked his community, and along the way he turns out to be “more than he seems”.

Will Dunn’s original script was set in Italy and was on the 2023 Black List of the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood. When Patel came on board, he and Dunn rewrote it and moved the story to India. That change explains a lot about why the project became so personal for him, and why A24 decided to make its first film in the country.

Dev Patel: writer, director, star

Patel is doing it all again. He directs, co-writes, produces and plays the lead, just as he did on Monkey Man (2024), his directorial debut. That film blended Hindu mythology with brutal John Wick-style action. The Peasant swaps neon-lit Mumbai-style streets for swords, horses and armoured knights.

The producers include Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee of Thunder Road, the company behind the John Wick franchise and Monkey Man, along with Charlie Morrison.

The Peasant cast

Anasuya Sengupta made history at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival as the first Indian performer to win the Un Certain Regard Best Actress award, for The Shameless. Talking about The Peasant, she said working on it was “absolutely mad in the best way possible.”

Christian Friedel, the German actor known for The Zone of Interest and The White Lotus Season 3, also joins the cast. He is one of the clearest hints at the European knights in the story.

Saurabh Sachdeva, known from Animal and Jaane Jaan and one of India’s best-known acting coaches, plays a key role. He told Variety India that what struck him most about Patel was his clarity: “There is no noise around his process, only intent.” Sebastian Bull and veteran actor Vipin Sharma round out the main cast.

Where was The Peasant shot?

The Peasant is A24’s first film production in India. According to Deadline, filming took place across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, which suggests forts, deserts and Himalayan landscapes in the final film. Production wrapped in May 2026.

Saurabh Sachdeva called A24’s decision to shoot in India “a cultural signal” rather than just a production choice, and many in the industry agree. It is a major A24 film built around Indian locations and Indian actors.

The Peasant release date: when is it coming?

A24 has not announced a date. With filming done in May 2026, the film is now in post-production, and the expectation among fans and trackers is a 2027 release. A24 often premieres its films at festivals first, so a festival debut in 2027 followed by a theatrical release would fit the studio’s pattern. We will update this post as soon as a trailer or date is announced.

Will The Peasant release in India?

It is the first question Indian fans are asking, and there is a reason for it: Monkey Man never got a theatrical release in India. The Peasant is set and shot in India with Indian actors, so the demand is even stronger this time. No Indian distributor has been announced yet.