TV
Loaded With Fun Cameos, Tonight’s Episode of “What We Do in the Shadows” Was the Best So Far
The latest episode of FX’s comedy celebrates cinema’s history with vampires with some outrageous, deep cut cameos.
FX’s television follow-up to Taika Waititi’s What We Do in the Shadows has been killing it lately, both figuratively and literally. Not only has the series just been renewed for a second season that’s set to hit some time in 2020, but tonight’s latest episode, “The Trial,” featured a bonkers cavalcade of guest stars that was pretty damn impressive.
It was probably also the show’s best episode yet.
In “The Trial,” hot off the heels of last week’s episode, the Staten Island vampires find themselves on trial for the death of the Baron. The Vampiric Council that’s set to judge our vampire heroes is a select group that travels the globe to ensure that any vampires who have broken their kind’s sacred code can be held responsible. The episode reiterates just how important this group of vampires is and it’s in this department where What We Do in the Shadows turns to its many guest stars.
The gang initially comes in contact with a vampire played by Kristen Schaal, who’s a stickler on raven-message etiquette. One of Schaal’s first major roles was back on Jemaine Clement’s Flight of the Conchords, which makes this a nice reunion of sorts. Dave Bautista also shows up early on in heavy prosthetics as one of the prisoners of the Council.
These are fun appearances, but then Tilda freaking Swinton shows up as the head of the Vampiric Council. What’s even better is that she plays herself. Swinton is such an unusual performer that it’s easy to buy that she could actually be a vampire, but the episode goes much deeper with this premise. Basically every vampire on the Council is a celebrity who has portrayed a famous vampire in pop culture. Swinton was Eve in Only Lovers Left Alive, but she’s joined here by Evan Rachel Wood (Sophie-Anne Leclerq in True Blood), Paul Reubens (Amilyn in the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and Danny Trejo (Razor Charlie in From Dusk ‘Til Dawn).
Fellow famous cinematic vampires, Kiefer Sutherland, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Robert Pattinson are apparently also part of the tribunal, but aren’t able to attend for this business. Wesley Snipes is at least able to Skype in (even though he’s only half vampire, like Blade, and therefore the lowest rung of the Council).
As if all of these unexpected appearances weren’t enough on their own, Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, and Jonathan Brugh all reprised their roles from the feature film as Viago, Vladislav, and Deacon, respectively. It’s the first time that the featured characters from the film have crossed over into the series and with a second season on the way, it hopefully won’t be the last.
The Staten Island crew do not fare well with this celebrity panel and they only narrowly escape death thanks to help from Colin. With three episodes left in the season, there’s still plenty of time for more surprise cameos and, of course, more opportunities for everyone’s undead lives to hilariously be on the line.
“What We Do in the Shadows” airs every Wednesday night on FX.
Henry Cavill had been set to lead Amazon MGM Studios’ “Warhammer 40,000” series a few years ago, and the small screen project finally gets a fresh update this week.
According to Deadline, horror master Mike Flanagan (“Carrie”) is currently in talks to come on board the “Warhammer” TV series as an Executive Producer.
Deadline also notes in today’s report, “It’s still being determined if the Doctor Sleep filmmaker will be showrunning the Henry Cavill passion project.”
Henry Cavill is set to both star in and executive produce the upcoming series, with Amazon MGM Studios potentially looking to also bring “Warhammer” into the world of film.
“Warhammer 40,000 is set in the far future, where humanity stands at the edge of what might be its brightest future, or its darkest age.
“The threats to humankind’s empire are many — traitors driven by the fires of ambition, alien empires sworn to reclaim the stars, and the corruption of reality by malevolent gods.”
Vertigo Entertainment will executive produce alongside Games Workshop and Amazon Studios.
“Warhammer 40,000 has captured the imagination of fans of all ages, from all walks of life, and all over the world,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon and MGM Studios. “We are excited to work with Henry, Vertigo Entertainment, and Games Workshop across our Amazon entertainment businesses on this brilliant, immersive franchise for our global customers to experience for years to come.”
“I have loved Warhammer since I was a boy, making this moment truly special for me. The opportunity to shepherd this cinematic universe from its inception is quite the honour and the responsibility,” said Henry Cavill. “I couldn’t be more grateful for all the hard work put in by Vertigo, Amazon Studios and Games Workshop to make this happen. One step closer to making a nigh on lifelong dream come true.”
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