On the eve of its world premiere in Sundance, Funny Or Die is partnering with Unison Films and Defender Films on the broad comedy “What We Do in the Shadows.”
Frequent collaborators Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement shared writing, directing and acting duties in “Shadows,” which is full of one-liners showcasing that whether you’re immortal or human, life is better with friends.
Waititi, Chelsea Winstanley and Emanuel Michael produced the film, which makes its world premiere on Sunday, Jan. 19 at midnight at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City. CAA brokered the deal and is repping the film’s domestic distribution rights.
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In partnering with the film, FOD will leverage its social media and marketing reach leading up to the films’ release, once it sells to a distributor. FOD most recently worked with Clement this summer when Flight of the Concords headlined FOD’s “Oddball Comedy and Curiosity Tour.”
“Shadows” follows the lives of Viago (Waititi), Deacon (Jonathan Brugh), and Vladislav (Clement) — three flatmates who are just trying to get by and overcome life’s obstacles — like being immortal vampires who must feast on human blood. Hundreds of years old, the vampires are finding that beyond sunlight catastrophes, hitting the main artery, and not being able to get a sense of their wardrobe without a reflection — modern society has them struggling with the mundane like paying rent, keeping up with the chore wheel, trying to get into nightclubs, and overcoming flatmate conflicts.
“At the last minute, we were given the opportunity to be involved in Taika and Jemaine’s hilarious movie, and we jumped at it. We are excited to help market ‘Shadows,’ not only to their already impressive fan base, but also to the tens of millions of Funny Or Die viewers whom we know will love it as much as we do,” Funny or Die’s CEO Dick Glover said of the partnership.
