Camp Firewood Counselors Run Amok in ‘Wet Hot American Summer’ Trailer
All the fun, sun and near-death experiences Maine’s Camp Firewood has to offer are highlighted in the hilarious first trailer for Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, Netflix‘s upcoming mini-series prequel to the 2001 cult comedy.
The warped, VHS-quality clip plays out like a promo for Camp Firewood and includes quick snippets of its beloved, moronic counselors as they show campers the joys of drama, archery and breakdancing. H. Jon Benjamin — who voiced the can of vegetables that speaks to Gene, the shell-shocked Vietnam vet-turned-camp chef played by Christopher Meloni — narrates the video, and in a droll tone exclaims, “Camp Firwood is more than just a summer camp. Camp Firewood is an idea. A promise. A way of life.”
Among the cast members who pop up in the teaser are Amy Poehler and Bradley Cooper as the drama geeks, Molly Shannon as the mooning arts and crafts teacher and Paul Rudd as the too-cool lifeguard. Elizabeth Banks, Michael Ian Black, Joe Lo Truglio and Michael Showalter also appear, and sharp eyes will catch the quick cut to Cooper and Black’s passionate tool shed sex scene from the movie.
Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp reunites almost the entire cast of the 2001 film, which includes all the aforementioned performers as well as Janeane Garofalo, Ken Marino, David Hyde Pierce, Judah Friedlander, Marguerite Moreau and Zak Orth. David Wain directed the series and co-wrote the episodes with Showalter.
Much of the Wet Hot cast and crew — including Wain, Showalter, Marino, Black and Lo Truglio — were members of the Nineties sketch comedy troupe/MTV show The State; and many of the film’s supporting players like Rudd, Poehler, Banks and Cooper would go on to achieve mainstream success (Cooper’s first film role was as Ben, the talent show coordinator). Despite making less than $2 million and drawing scathing reviews from critics upon its release, Wet Hot American Summer developed a rabid, adoring fan base over the following decade.
All eight episodes of Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp will premiere on Netflix on July 17th.