Lil Rel Howery, Nina Dobrev and more on murder mystery comedy ‘Reunion’
so you know them they’re comedians they’re actors L lorel Howry get out vacation friends the Carmichael show Michael Hitchcock meet Mad TV Glee Crazy Ex-Girlfriend they’re now together in this new movie The who done it murder mystery series reunion so lell I’ll let you tell us what reunion is about uh reunion is is is a is an interesting class Union SLP party that happens at one of the former classmates house and as we’re having a good time uh somebody gets murder and we’re all stuck in his house because it’s a snowstorm but while we’re there we have to figure out who done it so to make sure nobody else get killed U but while all this is happening things are being exposed that happened in the past it’s happening in the present and it’s just really funny it’s probably one of the funnier murder mysteries you seen in a long time and the cast is amazing and we have so much fun doing it but this is a really fun movie it’s really fun indeed and Michael where does your character come into play amidst this class reunion well believe it or not I play the youngest of everyone um no I don’t I play the their teacher I play their teacher and it’s the 20-year reunion and uh I show up at the party and no one can really quite understand why I’m there because everyone hates me so and hated me back then uh and I drink a lot so um yeah that’s sort of how I fit in and um I think I came for the free booze and stayed for the murder stayed for the murder is a good way to put it and Lil you mentioned this genre it’s such a fun comedy murder mystery genre we had like Knives Out the Afterparty TV series and now reunion I love this addition to this whole genre what Drew you to this project and also being a producer on it you know some it was it was I like the fact when you mix comedy with these murder mystery movies and make it really funny but it was the casting of this movie it’s such a great great great cast and I mean honestly hopefully this come off on the screen when people watch it we really got along really well actually actually hung out a lot um and so you know when you have that type of chemistry on and off camera it’s literally so much fun it was a lot of fun doing this movie it really it really was and I’ve watched it way too many times which I’m glad that people other people can see it now I’m like am I the only one gonna see this movie so I’m happy that it’s finally coming out and everybody can see this movie but it’s it’s such a great cast and I I jumped on as a producer just because you know when you you like you said you had the knives out and the after party but this stands alone on its own thing which is so crazy because people are comparing it to those different things but once they see the movie they’ll see the difference you’re very right in this cast we can’t not mention Nina doev Billy Magnus Jillian Bell Jamie Chung Chase Crawford both of you obviously like what a great ensemble cast for a movie like this Michael what was it getting to what was it like getting to work with everyone on this uh I hated every moment of it tell you the truth no it was it was fantastic like what re saying we were just talking just before you came on we all went dancing one night and took over this this local restaurant and we had the best time like R was saying that like uh Billy magson did the splits in the middle of the Dance Floor I can stand on my head so I did that um we just we had a we had a great time um and yeah it was just silly and stupid fun and I got to meet some of my Idols too like Lil r i mean you know after seeing get out and going like I want to work with him and then I got to um Chase Crawford I love the boys you know it’s one of my favorite shows he’s so good as the Deep so it was just a great all the way around it’s a really great time I’m so excited for people to finally get to see reunion they can watch it from home buy it rent it Friday June 28th digital release thanks so much guys thanks for so you know Nina doev from The Vampire Diaries The Perks of Being a Wallflower she’s now in this super exciting who done it murder mystery but also a comedy called reunion so tell us where your character comes into play thank you hi um I my character is a ex party girl turned politician with a past that comes back to haunt her and um she is just trying to navigate I I don’t know why she attended the high school reunion now in retro actually I do know I do know why she attended it I take that back but it’s a spoiler so I can’t tell you right now um she I’ve said too much great now I’ve ruined it it’s okay um yeah she’s just she’s there to see her friends and um and it goes horribly wrong let’s just put it that way yeah and this this genre is so much fun we’ve obviously seen like the knives out the Afterparty series and reunion it just as Lil Rel just told me it stands on its own it’s such a fun Ensemble comedy what was it like getting to work with this like top tier cast it was really great um we that that’s one of the big reasons why I wanted to do the movie is because of Jillian Bell and re like you mentioned Michael Hitchcock um Billy Magnuson um I’ve always been uh really in awe of his career and everything that he’s done um so yeah I mean we wanted to to make something that stood on its own but yet pays an homage to the houd done it genre and I think we did a pretty good job you did a very good job and obviously this comes from director Chris Nelson what was it like working with him and kind of playing this obviously it’s a mystery but you’re also trying to infuse this comedy in it as well yeah I’d say that like our our H done it unlike knives at’s a little bit more subtle we’re a bit more of a broad comedy um last night so it’s a little different but Chris you know we shot this in less than a month which was pretty crazy we did it in Calabasas California in the middle of summer um so we had to pretend like we were cold even though we were snowed in um as it always somehow works out that way I don’t know why we never film winter movies in the actual winter but yeah Chris was great Chris was uh the the leader of the the pack and it was a a fun experience we had a really good time with that good it’s super fun I loved watching the movie I can’t wait for people to see it on June 28th on digital you can rent it you can buy it make sure you watch reunion thanks a lot Nina thank you so much now I’ll tell you the perfect date is to watch reunion you can stream it or you can watch it you can rent it you can buy it June 28th so director Chris Nelson thanks for joining me thank you for having me yeah so tell us uh how you came to be signed on to direct reunion you know this was this was something after the perfect date I was looking for what felt like something new and different for me to do but was still sort of in uh the comedy wheelhouse and it was sent to me by my representatives and I just was so taken with the idea that there was this reunion comedy and I think reunions are just amazing funny cultural just such a there’s there’s something that like everybody kind of relates to and goes through and yet there aren’t a ton of reunion comedies that you can really think of that have been really classic and I got very excited by the idea of that and when I realized that there was this Agatha Christie type who done it that was combined with it it just was very exciting for me so an ability to kind of really work with making a very funny outrageous um you know joke filled character comedy but with a great um you know who done it closed door at the Christie piece to it as well yeah this genre is so much fun anyone everyone loves the who D it genre and then you throw in comedy there and it’s it’s just a strike of gold you can’t not talk about this incredible cast what did the cast come on before you signed on or was the cast part of your decision did you help make the cast no absolutely casting is probably one of my favorite parts of the process actually so yeah we we put the cast together along with um you know producing Partners but yeah it was it was built out um you know piece by piece uh to really put together a great ensemble in this Ensemble Lil real Howry Michael Hitchcock nah Dober rev Jillian Bell Jamie Chung Billy Magnus Chase Crawford the list is just incredible for a special movie like this what was it like getting them all together for this film it was it was wonderful I mean we actually were shooting in the height of height of covid I mean we we we made this movie quite some time ago um and really had a lot of like post-production through covid and then the strikes so we’re so excited to be coming out now but it was an incredible thing getting everybody together during that time and um and everyone was I think so excited to be there and the cast really hit it off they all you know loved each other they all bring such different things to the project and to their characters and yet really feel like this really cohesive Collective and I’m I’m really proud of that aspect to it I think it’s um I think it’s it’s really fun as an ensemble comedy yeah in filming it so long ago for now it to finally in just a couple weeks get its debut on digital platforms what’s that like for you as the Director of this big movie it’s great I mean we had it was it’s funny as things as we were making it all of a sudden we’re like oh my gosh there’s knives outs coming out oh my gosh Afterparty all these things in the genre were coming out I think all of us were like oh is this gonna what is this does it feel like we’ve done this you know that we’ve sort of missed the moment but actually I think it’s the exact opposite I think in a lot of ways we’re very different from all of those movies and I think audiences have really discovered it as a genre and and and a sub genre R in away and they love them so I’m I couldn’t be more thrilled about the timing of it and I think it’s the type of movie that everybody needs to see right now it’s fun it’s it’s just got a lot of life to it and uh we need more of that I think in our lives right now a lot of life except for the one who we trying to figure out who gets so yeah except for the dead except for the dead people yes yeah but other than that people are goingon to love reunion like you said Knives Out the Afterparty this is another Surefire hit in that genre thanks a lot Chris thank you thanks for having me n
It seems only appropriate for murder mystery films and TV shows to assemble all-star casts these days — and “Reunion” is no different.
The 90-minute film takes place as a group of people attend their 20-year high school reunion, but the festivities are cut short when one of their classmates is murdered. And the killer is amongst them because they’re snowed in!
Starring Lil Rel Howery, Nina Dobrev, Billy Magnussen, Jillian Bell, Chace Crawford, Jamie Chung and Michael Hitchcock, “Reunion” is available to buy or rent digitally Friday, June 28.