Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi's Wellington Paranormal heads to the US

Mike Minogue and Karen O'Leary star in Wellington Paranormal, a spin-off the 2014 film, What We Do in the Shadows, which is soon to air in the USA for the first time. Photo / Supplied

Hit New Zealand comedy, Wellington Paranormal, is set to make the jump to the USA. The horror mockumentary spin-off of the film, What We Do in the Shadows, now in its third season, has been picked up by The CW and HBO Max in a joint acquisition arrangement.

Wellington Paranormal is co-written and created by Clement and Waititi, the duo also executive produce the show, along with Paul Yates.

Jemaine Clement says he saw a spin-off for Karen O'Leary and Mike Minogue (pictured with co-star Maaka Pohatu), since they first auditioned for What We do in the Shadows. Photo / Supplied

American audiences are no stranger to the uniquely ironic style of comedy offered up by Clement and Waititi. The 2014 film, What We do in the Shadows, has gained a cult following in the States and even earned its own spin off series. The FX series, of the same name as the film, premiered in 2019, with a third season currently in production. The popular series, stars legendary British comedian, Matt Berry, and was created and written by Clement. Set on New York's Staten Island, the series has managed to seamlessly retain its understated Kiwi humour, while also appealing to an American audience. Will Wellington Paranormal be able to make the same leap?

#WellingtonParanormal is on the case. pic.twitter.com/3fqt2QrXKj

— Jemaine Clement (@AJemaineClement) June 28, 2018

New Zealand audiences would be very familiar with officers O'Leary (played by Karen O'Leary) and Minogue (played by Mike Minogue), the duo behind Wellington's fictional paranormal unit, but will they become the same household names in America? The CW and HBO Max obviously think the undeniably Kiwi tone of humour will speak to American audiences as they have acquired all three seasons of Wellington Paranormal, which is everything that has been filmed to date.

Kiwi fans will need to wait a little while to see if Wellington Paranormal is welcomed with open arms in the States, with The CW preparing to screen them in the upcoming US summer, with streaming then available to viewers via the HBO Max service the next day.

Taika Waititi, co-creator of Wellington Paranormal, won the Academy Award for Best Directing for the 2019 film, JoJo Rabbit. Photo / Supplied

Waititi has been in Australia lately, filming the next installment in the Thor movie franchise, starring Chris Hemsworth. Waititi has also recently voiced a stop-motion bunny in a new short called Save Ralph. The short film, which features a star-studded cast including, Ricky Gervais, Zac Efron and Olivia Munn, is part of a campaign seeking to end animal testing for The Humane Society.

The Oscar-winning director of Jojo Rabbit plays Ralph the bunny, who is blind in one eye and has difficulty hearing in one ear. His character aims to raise awareness about the cruel impact of cosmetic testing on animals. The full short written and directed by Spencer Susser will be released on April 6.