Ten years ago, Wet Hot American Summer rocked Sundance 2001, only to flop at the box office the next summer. Telling the story of a group of teenage counselors and campers on the last day of summer camp, the film made less than $300,000 at the box office.
With a cast featuring then-unknown, now-famous comedians like Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Elizabeth Banks, Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Michael Ian Black, A.D. Miles, Ken Marino, Joe Lo Truglio, Molly Shannon, Christopher Meloni, Zak Orth, Margurerite Moreau, Judah Friedlander and Michael Showalter who co-wrote the script along with director David Wain (Role Models), it’s no wonder Wet Hot American Summer, in the time since its DVD release, has gone on to become one of the biggest cult hits of the decade. According to Indiewire, Wain wants to celebrate the film’s 10th anniversary by getting a sequel/prequel project off the ground.
In an interview with Jeff Goldsmith at the Q & A Podcast this week, Wain revealed a few tantalizing details about the idea:
Wain: Yes, we have been talking about a sequel, prequel, something or other.
Goldsmith: The idea I’ve heard tossed around is that it would be a prequel but when you shoot it they would be 20 years older.
Wain: Well, no that would be absurd. The prequel would be the same summer so they would be 20 years old for the part yeah, but not younger. So it would be 40 year olds playing 16 year olds. And yeah, we’re in the early stages of thinking about that.
Goldsmith: I hope it happens.
Wain: Me too.
As hilarious as the Wet Hot cast playing teenagers again 10 years later would be, the project is far from off the ground for now. Wain said he’s been trying to get Universal to release a special 10th anniversary blu-ray/DVD edition, but they’re not biting. “I told them we would be willing to do a new prequel teaser short for it and new interviews and new material,” Wain said, “but they were like, ‘No, nobody buys it. Nobody cares.’”
Wain’s next film, the Judd Apatow-produced Wanderlust (featuring Rudd and Jennifer Aniston), is set to open later this year on Oct. 7. With any luck, a financial success there will give the director the sway needed to get this new Wet Hot movie rolling.
For now, you can catch the original Wet Hot American Summer on Netflix Instant. If you’ve never seen the film, clear your schedule for the next 96 minutes and click that link immediately. You won’t regret it.
When did you first see Wet Hot American Summer? How many times have you seen it since?