1 Attachment(s)
What We Do in the Shadows Spinoff Wellington Paranormal Gets a Trailer
Supernatural shenanigans abound in the trailer for the What We Do in the Shadows TV show spinoff, Wellington Paranormal. Taika Waititi's mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows revolves around a group of vampires who live together in modern New Zealand, and served to further establish Waiti's idiosyncratic comedy style after his first two movies, Eagle vs Shark and Boy. Waititi has since exploded in popularity thanks to his efforts as director on Marvel Studios' Thor: Ragnarok, and is now helping to bring the What We Do in the Shadows universe to the small screen.
In addition to cowriting and producing FX's upcoming U.S.-based What We Do in the Shadows TV series, Waititi co-created the TV spinoff Wellington Paranormal. The show brings Mike Minogue and Karen O'Leary back in their What We Do in the Shadows roles as New Zealand police officers Minogue and O'Leary, and pits the unwitting duo against a variety of supernatural threats. So many threats, in fact, that they need a very thick folder labeled "Paranormal", as the trailer for the series reveals.
Waititi and his What We Do in the Shadows co-director/writer/star Jermaine Clement will be reprising their roles as the vampires Viago and Vladislav on Wellington Paranormal, in addition to their efforts behind the camera. However, neither of those characters (nor any other vampires, for that matter) make an appearance in the TV show's trailer. Instead, the preview focuses on new addition Sgt. Ruawai Maaka (Maaka Pohatu), as he explains the series' premise for those unfamiliar with the wacky What We Do in the Shadows universe.
By the look of things, Wellington Paranormal will carry over the distinctly New Zealand-style dry humor and comedy of What We Do in the Shadows, while incorporating things like demonic possession and mysterious crop circles into the mix. The show will be a half-hour comedy program that only runs for six episodes, so it shouldn't strain the property's playfully simple mythology too much, either. Viago and Vladislav's cameos will be the icing on the cake, by the look of things.
On a related note - it will be interesting to see how Waititi and Clement translate the original movie's humor for U.S. audiences with FX's What We Do in the Shadows TV re-imagining. It's possible that pair won't really be changing things in that respect, similar to how Ragnarok carried over much of Waititi's trademark comedy into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The series' cast already includes The Shape of Water's Doug Jones, so it's certainly headed in the right direction on that front.
Wellmore Paranormal premieres on Television New Zealand (TVNZ) next month on Friday, July 11. It is currently without a U.S. TV home.
