Primate is a 2025 American natural horror film directed and co-written by Johannes Roberts. It stars Johnny Sequoyah, Jessica Alexander, and Troy Kotsur. The film premiered at the Fantastic Fest on September 18, 2025, and is scheduled to be released in theaters on January 9, 2026, by Paramount Pictures. It received generally positive reviews from critics. == Premise == A tropical vacation goes awry when a family's adopted chimpanzee named Ben suddenly becomes violent due to being bitten by a rabid animal. == Cast == Johnny Sequoyah as Lucy Jessica Alexander as Hannah Troy Kotsur as Adam Victoria Wyant as Kate Gia Hunter as Erin Benjamin Cheng as Nick Charlie Mann as Drew Tienne Simon Miguel Torres Umba as Ben Kae Alexander Amina Abdi Albert Magashi == Production == In July 2024, Paramount Pictures greenlit Primate, from director Johannes Roberts, who co-wrote the script with Ernest Riera, with Walter Hamada producing through a first-look deal with Paramount, and Troy Kotsur starring. The following month, Johnny Sequoyah joined the cast, which rounded out that October. On September 16, 2024, Roberts revealed on his Instagram account that principal photography had begun. On November 4, 2024, he announced filming had wrapped. == Release == Primate premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 18, 2025, and is scheduled to be theatrically released on January 9, 2026. == Reception == === Critical response === On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 89% of 18 critics' reviews are positive. == References == == External links == Official website Primate at IMDb