Considering the planet-sized amount of excitement that we already have for Netflix’s upcoming limited series Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, it was presumed nothing else could possibly expand that jubilation. Cue the “wrong” buzzer, because the series just picked up four amazing new cast members to add to the 1981 hullabaloo: Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Jason Scwartzman and Jon “My Charm Can End Wars” Hamm.
I’d watch a depressing holocaust movie with these actors, so having them join the greatest camp comedy ever – take that, Meatballs! – is almost unbelievable. As was previously announced, the plot behind this revival won’t occur any time after the last day of camp (when the film took place), but somehow on the first day of camp. Just in case you thought anything but the star power in this show would be serious. While this thespian foursome’s characters don’t get huge descriptions, Deadline did eke a few details out of the fray.
Wiig, who was just officially cast as part of the new Ghostbusters squad, is set to play a stuck-up counselor for Camp Tiger Claw, the rival camp that ends up beating Camp Firewood by forfeit in the championship baseball game in the film. Wiig should be brilliant for this, and I hope that she and Janeane Garofalo get into some kind of a brawl over David Hyde Pierce.
Schwartzman, who can currently be seen in theaters in Tim Burton’s Big Eyes, will reportedly be playing the head counselor of the boy’s camp. It’s inevitably hilarious any time the actor takes on an authoritative role, as his stature doesn’t quite come off as menacing. Will he be more interested in keeping the campers in line, or just his fellow counselors like Andy and McKinley?
Hamm, who will return to the iconic role of Don Draper when Mad Men finally finishes its sixth season later this year, is said to be playing a secret spy. Considering there’s absolutely no reason why a spy would need to (or want to) be anywhere near Camp Firewood, I have to imagine this will be one of the more outlandish plotlines, assuming it isn’t just a one-off cameo. Hamm is known for those.
Pine, whose sci-fi feature Z for Zachariah premiered at Sundance recently, is given the vaguest description of them all: he’s “mysterious.” Though more known for dramatic works like the Star Trek films, Pine was a shining light in Horrible Bosses 2 and knows how to draw a smile out. Still, he’s probably the least funny person involved in this project.
Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp is bringing back the entire cast of the first film – hinted at in the teaser trailer – along with some other new faces. Here’s a full-ish list of who we can expect to find: Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Michael Ian Black, Elizabeth Banks, David Hyde Pierce, Janeane Garofalo, Judah Friedlander, Paul Rudd, A.D. Miles, Christopher Meloni, Molly Shannon, Kevin Sussman, H. Jon Benjamin, Michael Showalter, David Wain, Michaela Watkins, John Slattery, Lake Bell, Paul Scheer, Randall Park, Josh Charles, Jayma Mays, Richard Schiff and Rob Huebel. (Gasp. Gasp.)
Expect to find all the camp shenanigans and corny montages you can handle when Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp hits Netflix this summer.
