When Wet Hot American Summer, the kitschy cult comedy about the last day at a Jewish summer camp, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival over ten years ago, the film's multitude of stars were nothing but improv students and writers trying to make it in industry. By now, nearly every actor in the film has a booming career, with hit TV shows, blockbuster movies and trapper keepers full of appointments.
This weekend, SF Weely reported that the Camp Firewood crew found the time to reunite at Sketchfest in San Francisco, and performed the film in a live "radio play." Wet Hot alums in attendance at the star-powered event included Paul Rudd (as tantrum throwing, aviator wearing Andy), Amy Poehler (as the neurotic, demanding musical director Susie), Christopher Meloni (as sweater fondling, refrigerator humping, short-shorts wearing dining hall cook) and Molly Shannon (as the overly sensitive divorce who falls in love with a 9 year-old camper).
The reunion, which featured most of the original cast, minus Jeneane Garofalo and David Hyde Pierce (replace for the night by Busy Philipps and David Cross), and other funny friends like John Hodgman and Bruce McCulloch filled in the rest of the gaps. The live performance was an easy collaboration between the actors who obviously still have a friendly chemistry, as well as some spontaneous improv and commentary throughout.
According to the A.V. Club, director David Wain has teased a prequel or sequel in recent months, and now the possibility is more likely than ever. "When you have Paul Rudd and Bradley Cooper and Amy [Poehler] and all these movie stars and gigantic people in it, it's like…If everyone made their quote, it would be like a $30-$40 million movie," said one of the film's stars Joe Lo Truglio. "But who — one could always dream I suppose."
Wain's teased prequel would take place during the same summer, but would still star the same actors (who were already playing 10 years their junior when the movie was made), "So it would be 40 year olds playing 16 year olds," Wain explained. Wain has teased prequels before, but between the high price of the film's now über famous cast and the fact that, well, they have no support from Universal, fans may be waiting a while. In the meantime, fans can simply enjoy the fact that the cast still has enough love for the film to come together, even if it is only for an hour.