Doug Jones Confirmed As Part Of What We Do In The Shadows TV Adaptation

Since Taika Waititi first joined forces with Flight of the Conchords writer and actor Jemaine Clement to make the horror mockumentary What We Do In The Shadows, their little kiwi stars have been on the rise. Waititi recently brought his inimitable lightness and charm to the world of big-budget comic book movies when he directed the critically acclaimed Thor: Ragnarok – now, the much-vaunted TV adaptation of What We Do In The Shadows looms on the horizon.

Alongside Beanie Feldstein, Jake McDorman, and Mark Proksch, the reigning king of gangling prosthetic creatures, Doug Jones, has been confirmed to be starring in the pilot episode. Jones is of course best known as the sexy fishman in Guillermo del Toro’s recent film The Shape Of Water, and is currently starring as the terminally under-appreciated canary-in-the-coalmine alien Saru in Star Trek: Discovery.

Now, if you’ll look at a picture of the central cast of the original film, you’ll notice one of these people is not like the others – they have a certain gaunt, slender quality to them, and have clearly spent more time in the prosthetic booth. While I hate to typecast anyone, this perhaps gives a little clue as Jones’s role in the project:

The other new additions to the show’s roster come with fairly solid comedy credentials – Feldstein and McDorman appeared in the Oscar-nominated coming-of-age comedy Lady Bird last year, while Proksch is a veteran of the US adaptation of The Office, and Vince Gilligan’s Breaking Bad spinoff Better Call Saul. Granted, this last isn’t straight comedy, but it’s never stronger than when Bob Odenkirk makes being an amoral lawyer a fun thing.

These new arrivals join the adaptation’s already strong cast – most notable among whom are two established British comedians Kayvan Novak, creator and star of Fonejacker and the adorably dim Waj in Four Lions, and Matt Berry, who can list the cult classics Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, The Mighty Boosh, and The IT Crowd under his belt. Also already confirmed are Harvey Guillen of MTV’s cyber-stalker drama Eye Candy, and Natasia Demetriou, another British comedian who won a Debutant award at the Edinburgh Fringe (a well-established first step for British talent) in 2014.

Possibly more exciting is the news from behind the camera, as it’s been confirmed that Waititi and Clement will remain intimately involved with the property, directing and writing respectively as well as serving as executive producers. Both had more than proved themselves with the original film, and now, with Waititi having made a success of a triple-A comic book adaptation, the sky’s the limit – anything can happen and probably will.

A pilot episode of the series was confirmed by FX in January. Meanwhile, the spinoff film/sequel, We’re Wolves, focusing on the werewolves who constituted the gang’s closest frenemies in What We Do In The Shadows, remains at the level of rumours and whispers – so all eyes will likely be on the TV series. But if you enjoyed Thor: Ragnarok and you were hoping for a Waititi fix a little sooner, check out his 2016 comedy Hunt For The Wilderpeople.