‘What We Do In The Shadows’ TV Series Reels In ‘Shape Of Water’ Star Doug Jones
As if the prospect of aWhat We Do in the ShadowsTV series couldn’t be more exciting, FX’s television adaptation ofTaika WaititiandJemaine Clement’s vampire mockumentary has landedThe Shape of WaterstarDoug Jones.
Jones is one of four new cast members joining the highly anticipated adaptation of Waititi and Clement’s hysterical horror-comedy about vampires sharing a flat in New Zealand. And one of those new cast additions is another 2018 awards season regular:Lady Bird’sBeanie Feldstein.
Doug Jones, Beanie Feldstein,Jake McDorman,andMark Prokschhave all joined the pilot for FX’s half-hour comedy,Varietyreports. Their specific roles have not yet been announced.
McDorman was last seen in a small role inLady Birdand was the star of the CBS seriesLimitless.Proksch has appeared in AMC’sBetterCall Saul, NBC’sThe Office,This Is Us, AP Bio, and the FOX comedySon of Zorn.
There’s no question that Jones is a perfect fit forWhat We Do in the Shadows. Jones has made a name for himself as a uniquely gifted actor comfortable beneath mountains of prosthetics, becoming a frequent collaborator of monster movie aficionado Guillermo del Toro. He played Abe Sapien in theHellyboymovies, the Faun inPan’s Labyrinth, and the Amphibian Man in the Oscar-nominatedThe Shape of Water.
Jones continues to be in high demand, currently appearing as Saru in the CBS All Access seriesStar Trek: Discovery, and starring as the titular vampire in this year’sNosferaturemake. As forWhat We Do in the Shadows, all signs point to Jones playing the Nosferatu-inspired vampire Petyr, the 8,000-year-old loner of the flat who occasionally gives into bursts of gory savagery. He doesn’t even need to getrefitted for the costume!
Feldstein is an inspired casting choice as well, as she stole scenes inLady Birdas Lady Bird’s funny and frank best friend. Feldstein has proved to have a gift for comic timing, which would make her a welcome addition to the supporting cast ofWhat We do in the Shadows, if not the main cast. Actually, I hope she gets bumped up to one of the main vampires, to mix the format up a bit. There’s no obligation for the TV series to exactly adapt the film, and Feldstein is a talent deserving of a lead role.
The four newWhat We Do in the Shadowscast members join thealready-announced cast, which includesKayvan Novak(Danger Mouse),Matt Berry(Toast of London),Natasia Demetriou(Year Friends) andHarvey Guillen(The Internship).
Few details have been shared about the FX TV adaptation, which will most likely transport the story from New Zealand to the U.S. Clement and Waititi will executive produce the series alongsideScott Rudin(The Night Of, The Newsroom),Paul Simms(Flight of the Conchords, Atlanta) and Scott Rudin Productions’Garrett BaschandEli Bush.
