TheWhat We Do in the Shadowsspinoff seriesWellington Paranormalis getting a wide release. The CW and HBO Max have jointly acquired the rights toWellington Paranormal, a spinoff of the 2014 vampire mockumentary that previously debuted on the New Zealand network TVNZ 2. As per the agreement, The CW will get first airings ofWellington Paranormalas a part of its summer schedule, while HBO Max will stream episodes a day after their broadcast debut. A premiere date hasn’t yet been set for the show.
After premiering in 2018,Wellington Paranormalis currently in the midst of its third season. The show stars Karen O’Leary and Mike Minogue reprising their roles as officers O’Leary and Minogue, a pair of police officers who appeared in the originalWhat We Do in the Shadowsmovie. They are described as “two hard-working members of the Wellington, New Zealand, constabulary’s paranormal unit. Under the leadership of Sgt. Maaka (Maaka Pohatu), the unit investigates the surprisingly regularsupernatural occurrencesin the capital city.”
Similar to the deal withWellington Paranormal,HBO Maxalso has full-season streaming rights to other original shows from The CW’s lineup, includingBatwomanandNancy Drew. Freshman shows likeWalker,Superman & Lois,Kung Fu, andThe Republic of Sarahwill also be streaming on HBO Max after their respective on-air runs end.
The originalWhat We Do in the Shadowsmovie became an instant cult classic when it was released in 2014. Written and directed byJemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, the movie is presented as a mockumentary, documenting the lives of several vampires living together in a Wellington flat. Clement and Waititi also star alongside Jonathan Brugh, Ben Fransham, Jackie van Beek, Stu Rutherford, Rhys Darby, and Cori Gonzalez-Macuer.
WhileWellington Paranormalarrived first in New Zealand, theWhat We Do in the ShadowsTV series brought the franchise greater recognition. Created by Clement, the spinoff follows four vampire roommates living in Staten Island, starring Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demtriou, and Harvey Guillen. Guest stars like Doug Jones, Beanie Feldstein, Mark Hamill, Dave Bautista, Wesley Snipes, and Haley Joel Osment have also been featured. The series has aired for two seasons on FX with a third season on the way.
TheWhat We Do in the Shadowsteam has also been mulling over a sequel movie that would follow the werewolves from the original movie. Tentatively titledWe’re Wolves, Waititi and Clement have both teased the project over the past several years, though there are still no concrete plans to make the sequel at this time, despite the success of the TV spinoff.
“We’re Wolvesis the film that Jemaine and I keep pretending that we’re making,” Waititi said in 2019. “Every couple of years we say, we’re making this new film calledWe’re Wolveswhich follows the werewolves from the film… It took us seven years to write the [first] film, so you do the math.”
Waititi and Clement createdWellington Paranormaland executive produce with Paul Yates. The New Zealand Documentary Board produces the series. There’s no word yet on when the show will premiere on The CW and subsequently HBO Max. This news comes to us fromThe Hollywood Reporter.
