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.
TV
‘God of War’ – Ryan Hurst Suffers On-Set Injury and Will Be Replaced as Kratos in Prime Video Series
After four episodes have already been shot of Prime Video’s hotly anticipated “God of War” television series, we’ve learned that an on-set injury will send the team back to square one.
Deadline reports that actor Ryan Hurst, who had been cast to play Kratos in the series, tore his bicep during a stunt-gone-wrong on set, and rather than wait until Hurst has healed up and can get back into action, the streaming series will instead recast the role of Kratos.
Additionally, all four episodes they’ve already shot will have to be fully re-shot with the new actor they bring in to play Kratos. At this time, no replacement actor has been announced.
Deadline notes that the decision was made by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios, the producers of the upcoming Prime Video adaptation of the video game franchise.
Hurst tore his bicep while doing a stunt on set back in late June. “This is a heartbreaking development for Hurst who underwent a physical transformation after getting the role, putting on 40 lbs of muscle, and worked hard for months on the Vancouver set filming the physically demanding role until getting hurt performing his duties,” Deadline notes in their report.
The outlet explains, “Hurst’s recovery time is unclear but for a serious bicep tear requiring surgery, it is typically 4-6 months, with a return to full strength taking up to a year. Given the physicality of the role, it will likely not have been safe for Hurst to resume filming until 2027. According to sources, while Hurst’s full recovery is a priority, the period required was longer than the production shooting schedule could accommodate, leading to the difficult decision.”
The “God of War” production is currently on hiatus. Stay tuned for more.
Callum Vinson (“Crystal Lake”) is playing Atreus in Prime Video’s “God of War.”
The live-action adaptation of PlayStation’s massively popular ancient mythology-themed video game franchise has received a two-season order from the streamer.
The tale follows father and son Kratos and Atreus as they embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye. Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human.
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