With huge culture-defining comedy hits and franchises like “Wayne’s World” (1992–1993), “Austin Powers” (1997–2002), and “Shrek” (2001–2010), comedian Mike Myers absolutely dominated comedy on screen for at least all of the ’90s. Myers proved their was much life in his career beyond “Saturday Night Live” and that he was a malleable comedy star who could eccentric and outrageous characters like Adam Sandler, and Jim Carrey did. But the teaser trailer for “The Pentaverate,“ Myers’ new Netflix limited-series—about a secret society that faces a dangerous threat from within— really does bode the question: is Myers stuck in the ’90s and is he going to pull the fat suit routine with various disguises forever?
In “The Pentaverate,” Myers plays eight different characters with radically different looks and the worry is, this sounds like Eddie Murphy (also a “Shrek” alum), in his “Doolittle” series, which definitely wasn’t the comedian’s best work. Here’s the official synopis:
What if a secret society of five men has been working to influence world events for the greater good since the Black Plague of 1347? As this new series begins, one unlikely Canadian journalist finds himself embroiled in a mission to uncover the truth and just possibly save the world himself. Remember, the Pentaverate must never be exposed!“
This description might sound familiar to those who have seen “So I Married An Axe Murderer (1993), in which Myers plays Charlie MacKenzie. In a scene in the film, Charlie’s father Stuart, also played by Myers, sits next to his son’s best friend to tell him about this well-known illuminate-eque society.
In this spin-off, can we call it a spin-off? In “The Pentaverate,” Myers will be playing: an old-school journalist working to expose the Pentaverate, a New England conspiracy theorist, a far-right radio host, the Pentaverate’s oldest and highest-ranking member, a former media mogul, an ex-Russian oligarch, a former rock-n-roll manager, and a tech genius.
Alongside him will be Ken Jeong, Keegan-Michael Key, Debi Mazar, Richard McCabe, Jennifer Saunders, and Lydia West. “The Pentaverate” premieres on Netflix on May 5, 2022. Watch the full-length official trailer below.