Keegan-Michael Key’s Pupa Character From Let’s Be Cops May Get Spinoff

Keegan-Michael Key has given audiences some of the craziest comedic characters of the past quarter-century, and now Let’s Be Cops writer/director Luke Greenfield is so keen to reunite that he might have a spinoff for one such character. Key starred in the 2014 action comedy as Pupa, the delivery driver for the film’s key antagonist, James D’Arcy’s Mossi Kasic, who becomes an informant and ally for Jake Johnson’s Ryan and Damon Wayans Jr.’s Justin.

In a recent interview with ScreenRant for Prime Video’s Playdate, Luke Greenfield shared his hopes to reteam with Key for a potential Let’s Be Cops spinoff centered on Pupa. The writer/director affirmed having plans to reboot the property with either another film or TV show, but was also in consistent contact with Key, even holding a private screening for his new film that the Emmy winner would be attending.

Expressing that he’s “so in love” with Key and his character in Let’s Be Cops, Greenfield teased he might “spin him into something else“. The writer/director went on to recall how he and Key changed his character’s name and certain details throughout filming the 2014 movie, and praised his star for his skillful comedic talents. Check out the rest of what Greenfield shared below:

God, he’s a dream. I mean, not to focus only on Keegan, but we shot with him for a little bit, and I’ve never seen a funnier person on set in my entire life, besides Alan [Ritchson].

Having found early success with his five-year tenure on Mad TV, Key instantly became a household name thanks to his and Jordan Peele’s award-winning sketch series Key & Peele. Playing everyone from Obama’s anger translator, Luther, to the ill-tempered substitute teacher Mr. Garvey and a Liam Neeson-loving restaurant valet, many of the Emmy winner’s characters are still discussed and appreciated a decade after the show’s ending.

Should Greenfield and Key properly begin working on a Let’s Be Cops follow-up for Pupa, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time the star has had a spinoff project revolving around one of his characters in the works. He, Peele and Key & Peele executive producers Rich Talarico and Alex Rubens were once working on a Mr. Garvey movie at Paramount. However, the film was seemingly shelved as Peele has become busier behind the camera.

Given Pupa was the true definition of a side character in Let’s Be Cops, there is certainly a lot of room for Key and Greenfield to flesh out the character in a spinoff. Whether exploring his current status as an undercover informant for Ryan, now an official police officer, or touching upon his previous criminal days, the project could not only mark a fresh new direction for the property, but also set up future stories involving Johnson and Wayans Jr.’s characters.

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  Birthname

  Keegan-Michael Key

  Birthdate

  
  March 22, 1971
  

  Birthplace

  southfield, michigan, united states

  Notable Projects

  Toy Story 4, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Wonka

  
  

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  Release Date

  August 13, 2014
  

  Runtime

  104minutes

  Director

  Luke Greenfield