# Strung
**Strung** is a 2026 American psychological thriller directed by [Malcolm D. Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/malcolm-d-lee) and written by Alan B. McElroy, in which a gifted violinist takes a job as live-in music tutor for the granddaughter of a wealthy, secretive family and finds her safety and sanity threatened as the household's secrets surface.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15532464/) • [2](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/strung) It stars [Chloe Bailey](https://www.edgepedia.org/chloe-bailey), Lynn Whitfield, Lucien Laviscount, Anna Diop, Coco Jones, and Romy Woods, and it was released on the streaming service Peacock on June 26, 2026.[3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/strung/credits/) • [4](https://www.tvinsider.com/gallery/strung-peacock-cast-premiere-date-details/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Malcolm D. Lee; screenplay by Alan B. McElroy[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15532464/) |
| Lead cast | Chloe Bailey (Laila Calloway), Lynn Whitfield (Audra Jelani), Lucien Laviscount (Marcus Walker), Anna Diop (Imani Walker), Romy Woods (Zuri Gaines), Coco Jones (Jasmine)[3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/strung/credits/) |
| Release | World premiere May 27, 2026, as opening night film of the 30th American Black Film Festival; Peacock streaming debut June 26, 2026[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/gallery/strung-peacock-cast-premiere-date-details/) • [5](https://www.essence.com/entertainment/coco-jones-lynn-whitfield-strung) |
| Production | First co-production of Jason Blum and Tyler Perry; produced by Blumhouse Productions, Tyler Perry Studios, Peachtree & Vine, and Blackmaled Productions[6](https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3943006/jason-blum-tyler-perry-psychological-thriller-strung-debuts-on-peacock-in-june/) |
| Original title | Announced in 2021 as *Help* before being retitled *Strung*[6](https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3943006/jason-blum-tyler-perry-psychological-thriller-strung-debuts-on-peacock-in-june/) |
| Runtime | 1 hour 59 minutes[2](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/strung) |
| Reception | IMDb 5.0/10 from about 1,600 users; Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 29% from 17 reviews[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15532464/) • [7](https://tv.apple.com/de/movie/strung/umc.cmc.5zw8bl4ufit93zc5cymgrddcw) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
Laila Calloway (Chloe Bailey) is a struggling classical violinist in Los Angeles whose career has stalled after repeated rejections from the philharmonic; she couch-surfs with her best friend Jasmine ([Coco Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/coco-jones)) while teaching children to make ends meet.[5](https://www.essence.com/entertainment/coco-jones-lynn-whitfield-strung) After a one-night stand with a stranger, she is hired by the elegant matriarch Audra Jelani ([Lynn Whitfield](https://www.edgepedia.org/lynn-whitfield)) for a high-paying live-in position tutoring her musically gifted granddaughter Zuri (Romy Woods), whose father, a rap mogul, has recently died and whose mother Imani (Anna Diop) is heavily pregnant.[8](https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/chloe-bailey-sexy-thriller-strung-140000007.html) • [5](https://www.essence.com/entertainment/coco-jones-lynn-whitfield-strung)
The job turns sinister. Zuri refuses to remove a ritual mask belonging to her late father, and Laila discovers that the man she slept with, Marcus Walker ([Lucien Laviscount](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucien-laviscount)), is Imani's husband and Zuri's stepfather.[9](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/strung) • [10](https://www.thereviewgeek.com/strung-endingexplained/) As she becomes entangled in the family's opulent world, she uncovers a financial scam, a secret affair, and a murderous plot, and comes to question her safety, her ambitions, and her own sanity.[9](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/strung) • [2](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/strung) Reviewers noted that the film withholds its genre identity until roughly the midway point, mixing ghostly elements, romance, and suspense before resolving as an over-the-top domestic thriller in which Audra is revealed as the ringleader of the household's schemes.[11](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/strung-is-wild-horror-movie-a-few-things-made-it-worth-ride)
## Production
The project was announced in October 2021 under the title *Help*, entering development and pre-production that month, and was later retitled *Strung*.[12](https://www.movieinsider.com/m19681/help) • [6](https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3943006/jason-blum-tyler-perry-psychological-thriller-strung-debuts-on-peacock-in-june/) It is the first co-production between Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions and [Tyler Perry](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyler-perry), produced by Perry, Blum, Lee, Tim Palen, and Dominique Telson, with McElroy, Philip Waley, Shaun S. Sutton, and Giselle Johnson-Morris as executive producers.[6](https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3943006/jason-blum-tyler-perry-psychological-thriller-strung-debuts-on-peacock-in-june/) • [3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/strung/credits/)
The film was shot in [Cape Town](https://www.edgepedia.org/cape-town), South Africa.[8](https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/chloe-bailey-sexy-thriller-strung-140000007.html) Greg Gardiner served as cinematographer, Paul Millspaugh as editor, and the score was composed by [Ali Shaheed Muhammad](https://www.edgepedia.org/ali-shaheed-muhammad) and Adrian Younge, mixing jazz and classical elements with diegetic hip hop.[3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/strung/credits/) • [13](https://blackgirlnerds.com/review-chloe-bailey-leads-malcolm-d-lees-summer-thriller-strung/) Bailey, one half of the musical duo [Chloe x Halle](https://www.edgepedia.org/chloe-x-halle), performed the violin pieces herself.[8](https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/chloe-bailey-sexy-thriller-strung-140000007.html) • [13](https://blackgirlnerds.com/review-chloe-bailey-leads-malcolm-d-lees-summer-thriller-strung/)
## Release
*Strung* premiered as the opening night selection of the 30th American Black Film Festival in Miami Beach on May 27, 2026, and began streaming on Peacock on June 26, 2026.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/gallery/strung-peacock-cast-premiere-date-details/) • [5](https://www.essence.com/entertainment/coco-jones-lynn-whitfield-strung) It also received international digital releases, including the Netherlands on June 18, India on June 26, and Sweden on September 29, 2026.[14](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15532464/releaseinfo/) Peacock reported that the film quickly became the service's most-watched title following its debut.[15](https://www.peacocktv.com/blog/tyler-perry-new-movie-strung-streaming-now-on-peacock)
## Reception
Critical response was mixed. The Guardian's review called it a far-fetched thriller whose busy script made it feel like a limited series cut down to movie length, while crediting its slick production design, Greg Gardiner's cinematography, and Coco Jones's comic relief as Jasmine.[16](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jun/26/strung-movie-review-blumhouse-tyler-perry) Bloody Disgusting described it as a modernization of classic domestic thrillers whose formulaic plot devices land with a thud but whose cast's commitment supplies the film's best shocks, rating it 2.5 out of 5.[17](https://bloody-disgusting.com/reviews/3956922/strung-review-blumhouse-thriller-plays-a-familiar-but-fun-tune/) On Rotten Tomatoes the film held a Tomatometer score of 29 percent from 17 reviews, and on IMDb it stood at 5.0 out of 10 from about 1,600 user ratings.[7](https://tv.apple.com/de/movie/strung/umc.cmc.5zw8bl4ufit93zc5cymgrddcw) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15532464/) Some commentators argued its melodramatic excess could give it a lasting cult audience, and it trended on Peacock's top movie lists for several days after premiere.[11](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/strung-is-wild-horror-movie-a-few-things-made-it-worth-ride)
## References
1. [Strung (2026), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15532464/)
2. [Strung, Universal Pictures At Home](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/strung)
3. [Strung credits, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/strung/credits/)
4. ['Strung': Everything to Know About Peacock's Creepy New Thriller, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/gallery/strung-peacock-cast-premiere-date-details/)
5. [Coco Jones And Lynn Whitfield Discuss Fear, Suspense, And The Secrets Behind 'Strung', Essence](https://www.essence.com/entertainment/coco-jones-lynn-whitfield-strung)
6. [Jason Blum-Tyler Perry Psychological Thriller 'Strung' Debuts on Peacock in June, Bloody Disgusting](https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3943006/jason-blum-tyler-perry-psychological-thriller-strung-debuts-on-peacock-in-june/)
7. [Strung, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/de/movie/strung/umc.cmc.5zw8bl4ufit93zc5cymgrddcw)
8. [Chloe Bailey on Sexy Thriller 'Strung', Variety via Yahoo News](https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/chloe-bailey-sexy-thriller-strung-140000007.html)
9. [Strung - Parents' Guide & Movie Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/strung)
10. [Strung (2026) Ending Explained, The Review Geek](https://www.thereviewgeek.com/strung-endingexplained/)
11. [Strung Is A Wild Horror Movie, And A Few Things Made It Worth The Ride, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/strung-is-wild-horror-movie-a-few-things-made-it-worth-ride)
12. [Everything You Need to Know About Strung Movie (2026), MovieInsider](https://www.movieinsider.com/m19681/help)
13. [Review: Chloe Bailey Leads Malcolm D. Lee's Summer Thriller 'Strung', Black Girl Nerds](https://blackgirlnerds.com/review-chloe-bailey-leads-malcolm-d-lees-summer-thriller-strung/)
14. [Strung (2026) - Release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15532464/releaseinfo/)
15. [Tyler Perry's New Movie Strung Is Streaming Now on Peacock, Peacock Blog](https://www.peacocktv.com/blog/tyler-perry-new-movie-strung-streaming-now-on-peacock)
16. [Strung review - far-fetched thriller awkwardly mixes Blumhouse and Tyler Perry, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jun/26/strung-movie-review-blumhouse-tyler-perry)
17. ['Strung' (2026) Review, Bloody Disgusting](https://bloody-disgusting.com/reviews/3956922/strung-review-blumhouse-thriller-plays-a-familiar-but-fun-tune/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2025–2026 films › Psychological and erotic thrillers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license