We learned last month that the talented people behind the 2001 cult comedy Wet Hot American Summer are planning a Netflix prequel series. Today, CraveOnline caught up with Michael Showalter, who, in addition to starring in the original, co-wrote the screenplay with fellow “The State” comedy troupe member David Wain (who also directed).
“[W]e have an outline, but we don’t have a script,” says Showalter, who also co-wrote Wain’s latest directorial effort, They Came Together, which lands in theaters today.
Wet Hot American Summer‘s original film’s cast — which includes Elizabeth Banks, Bradley Cooper, Janeane Garofalo, Michael Ian Black, David Hyde Pierece, Ken Marino, Christopher Meloni, Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Molly Shannon, Michael Showalter and Joe Lo Truglio — is still expected to return for the new show, although Showalter admits that it has been tricky trying to figure out the schedule.
“We wouldn’t have wanted to do it if we couldn’t get everybody,” he says, “so we did our due diligence before the fact and everyone wants to do it… At this point it’s just a scheduling thing.”
Showalter goes on to say that the plan for the ten-episode season is to have all the action take place on the first day of camp, potentially showcasing the characters in high school as flashbacks.
“[W]e’re not going to try to make everything make sense,” Showalter continues. “There will be some of that, but we’re not trying to do a really intricate story. It’s more just an opportunity to bring the cast back together and tell more stories about these camp kids.”
Although nothing past ten episodes is currently being planned, Showalter doesn’t rule out the possibility of a second season. What he seems more excited about, however, is the potential for a new “The State” film.
“‘The State’ has talked about doing our ‘Life of Brian,’ that kind of a thing,” he says. “We would get together and make our own ‘State’ movie, and that’s something I have always wanted to do, and I think we all have wanted to do it, but it’s just very hard to get everyone together to do it. But that would be cool.”
Click here to check out the full interview at CraveOnline!
