Shaq was back on The Late Late Show, just not quite how we expect. Host James Corden unveiled the "trailer" for a new disaster film featuring him, Victoria Beckham, and Shaquille O'Neal, naturally, since you cannot have a "Shaqnado" without Shaquille O'Neal. The trailer begins with a breaking news report with black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross) warning everyone about a massive storm headed for Los Angeles, and that is only the half of it! You can watch the "Shaqnado" trailer in all of its unparalleled glory below:
As it happens in most disaster movies, "Sharqnado" continued with the ordinary protagonists catching the news report in a bar. As James Corden looked out the window to see the weather conditions, Victoria Beckham stepped into frame as Dr. Poshowitz, a not-so-subtle reference to her Spice Girls persona. Corden tries to warn her to go home, but she can't. She took an oath! This is no ordinary tornado, people! This is a Shaqnado! It's a tornado filled with Shaquille O'Neals! Exposition is sometimes necessary!
As explained in the faux trailer, this extraordinary "film" stems from the same minds that brought audiences the Sharknado franchise and the "please be real one day" Shaq to the Future. Tracee Ellis Ross' anchor reports that the Shaqnado has descended on Los Angeles with dizzying results, so James Corden and Victoria Beckham decide they have to do something! Corden determined the only way to counteract the Shaqnado is to make it shoot free throws. (Zing!) They get a bunch of basketballs, a helicopter, and begin dropping them into the eye of the storm. Will it work?
The basketballs appear to have the desired effect until the helicopter gave out and plummeted to the ground. Having crashed, Corden and Beckham's characters realize they have actually fallen for each other amidst the stress of facing the Shaqnado. That's when one of the Shaqs' shoes falls from the sky and onto Corden, who survives the hit. The Shaqnado is not over yet! As more action is teased, the "trailer" concludes with James Corden and Dr. Poshowitz celebrating the end of the Shaqnado at a pub , but their celebration is interrupted by one of the Shaquille O'Neals, who crashes in. Ever the polite weather phenomenon, Shaq apologizes for crashing the party and leaves, as a stunned James Corden and Dr. Poshowitz finish their toast.
The Late Late Show's "Shaqnado" spoof takes direct aim at the satirical franchise Sharknado, which itself parodies epic disaster films. "Shaqnado" arrives as one such disaster film, Rampage, currently sits at the top spot of the box office. That Dwayne Johnson movie beat out the hugely successful thriller A Quiet Place, which takes place in a world where talkative NBA vets like Shaq wouldn't fare well at all.
For more spoofs, you can check out The Late Late Show with James Corden. The late-night talk show airs weeknights at 12:35 a.m. ET on CBS. Curious about what else is coming up on CBS? Check out our guides to TV's midseason and summer premieres.
