We're wigging out over this casting news!
Cate Blanchett is set to join season four of the IFC and AMC series Documentary Now!, co-created by Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Seth Meyers and Rhys Thomas. Blanchett will star opposite Killing Eve's Harriet Waller in the episode "Two Hairdressers in Bagglyport," a comedic take on the documentaries 3 Salons at the Seaside and The September Issue. Waller will play a salon owner, with Blanchett playing her employee, as they prepare for their yearly look-book.
And fans of the emotional documentary My Octopus Teacher will notice some similarities in the episode "My Monkey Grifter," starring The Afterparty's Jamie Demetriou. According to AMC, "My Monkey Grifter" follows a "filmmaker who forms a deep, emotional and financially taxing relationship with a monkey who may have ulterior motives."
Trystan Gravelle, Jonathan Pryce and John Rhys-Davies will star in another episode, "How They Threw Rocks." This remake is made in the style of the Spike Lee movie When We Were Kings, but set in Wales.
Documentary Now!, which premiered in 2015, puts a comedic spin on famous documentaries, with Dame Helen Mirren hosting. Past episodes include "Sandy Passage," a beloved mockumentary of Grey Gardens, in which Hader played Vivienne "Little Vivvy" Van Kimpton and Armisen played Vivienne "Big Vivvy" Van Kimpton.
Season four will largely take place in England, so unfortunately, Hader, who stars in HBO's Barry, won't be in the new episodes. "Bill can't even make it here," Armisen previously told Consequence TV, "but he's a producer and a creator and writer on it. And we're all in touch about it—we have a good text thread going."
Armisen added that the making of the show isn't as organized as people expect, saying, "We sort of throw things together via email and it somehow works. Every season we've done has been like this—it's just complete chaos. And I think, for some reason, the chaos makes it feel more like a documentary. I almost feel like we do it on purpose without realizing it."
A premiere date hasn't been announced yet, but fans can catch up on old episodes on IFC.