James R | On 10, Jan 2015

Did you know that Elizabeth Banks, Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler all appeared in the same movie together? That would be Wet Hot American Summer, a 2001 film from MTV’s sketch comedy group The State.

If you’ve never heard of it, that’s because it never made it to UK cinemas (although it did get released in the Czech Republic in 2002 and went straight to DVD or TV in several other countries). But the movie has gained a cult following over the years, thanks to its eclectic cast mix.

David Wain’s comedy is about the final days of a summer camp, as the season winds down and the counsellors working there hope for a last stab at a holiday romance.

Based on Wain’s own experiences, Wet Hot American Summer promises all the old, familiar summer camp traditions – The sex! The muggings! The cover-ups! The malaria! – and was co-written with fellow The State member Michael Showalter, who stars in the movie, alongside Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Michael Showalter, Molly Shannon, Michael Ian Black, Ken Marino and Joe Lo Truglio.

Now, Netflix will reunite the group for a limited series, a la Arrested Development. The eight-episode show (first reported by Deadline) is expected to see the the original stars return for the outing and will be written once again by Wain and Showalter.

“It’s true, camp is back in session,” Netflix tweeted in the early hours of this morning. “#WetHotAmericanSummer will return for 8 all new episodes.”

The Hollywood Reporter also confirmed the reports, digging up an interview from 2012, when Showalter told Geeking Out that work was being done on a sequel, although no details have been announced yet about the film’s exact plot.

“We are working on a prequel,” he said at the time. “It’s six months to a year earlier than when the movie originally was… except the actors playing the characters are 10 years older.”

Elizabeth Banks, Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler all together in a movie once again? Even if you’ve never seen Wet Hot American Summer, the prospect of that reunion is intriguing. As long as you ignore the film’s 31% rating on RottenTomatoes. And the terrible reviews on Amazon, where a limited number of copies can be purchased on DVD.

Wet Hot American Summer is not currently on Netflix UK – although David Wain’s latest comedy, spoof rom-com They Came Together, was added just last month. It also stars Rudd and Poehler and we highly recommend it.

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