Jemaine Clement: HBO Not Bringing Back ‘Flight Of The Concords’
Musician and comedian Jemaine Clement, star of HBO’s beloved comedy Flight of the Concords, made news recently when rumors began to swirl about a revival of the show thanks to an interview with The Guardian. Now, Clement has taken to Twitter to clarify his remarks and shed light on what’s really happening between him and HBO.
When asked about the future of Concords, Jemaine tells The Guardianthat he and co-star Bret McKenzie “talk about a movie every so often.” Clement also said that he, McKenzie, and co-creator/lead director James Bobin “all want to do a musical. It would be good to do something all together.” Jemaine and McKenzie have collaborated a number of times since the show ended, though a collaboration between all of the creative forces behind the hit has yet to come to fruition.
The article follows with news that Clement, McKenzie, and frequent Flight of the Concords director Taika Waititi have partnered with HBO to produce a four-episode comedy, which then fueled rumors that the network was bringing back the critically-acclaimed show. When news spread, Jemaine tweeted and put the rumors to rest. “Before this rumour gets out of hand – we are not working on a 4 ep Conchords show for hbo…”, the New Zealand native said. A second tweet followed, confirming that something was indeed in the pipeline for the longtime musical-comedy duo. “I am working on another idea with them though, hence the mix-up.”
Before this rumour gets out of hand – we are not working on a 4 ep Conchords show for hbo… https://t.co/q1607H5vg8
— Jemaine Clement (@AJemaineClement) September 2, 2014
I am working on another idea with them though, hence the mix-up. — Jemaine Clement (@AJemaineClement) September 2, 2014
The rumors of a Concords revival comes as Clement makes the rounds promoting his new horror-comedy What We Do In the Shadows, which saw a wide release in New Zealand back in June. Jemaine has stayed busy recently, appearing in films like Rio and even moving into film scoring. The 40-year-old comedian served as music supervisor for 2011’s The Muppets and 2014’s Muppets Most Wanted. Clement’s original song “Man or Muppet,” written for The Muppets, took home an Academy award for Best Song.
Jemaine Clement isn’t the only Concords alumn to find success outside of the show. Bret has most recently appeared in the Hobbit series of movies portraying Lindir, a role that came to be through appearances in the first and third Lord of the Rings films. Co-creator James Bobin has, as was recently reported, signed on to direct Alice in Wonderland 2. The sequel finds Bobin assuming directing duties instead of Tim Burton, who directed the first one. Despite Burton’s absence, his longtime associate Johnny Depp has been confirmed to star in the follow-up film.
While Clement didn’t reveal details of the new HBO series, he did tell The Guardian that he has signed on for the lead role in James Strouse’s People, Places and Things. A release date has yet to be announced for the film.
Jemaine and Bret McKenzie released several comedy albums for Sub Pop Records under the “Flight” moniker, including a highly successful self-titled release in 2008 that debuted at #3 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Clement and his partner also reunited last year to co-headline with Dave Chappelle in the Oddball & Curiosity Festival tour that debuted in Austin, TX. Jemaine and his musical partner also reunited in 2012, recording and releasing a charity single for New Zealand charity Cure Kids.
Clement’s What We Do In the Shadows, which finds the actor also assuming the roles of co-writer and co-director, has yet to see a U.S. release, though Jemaine and company have just released the film in Australia.
[Image Via Google]
