Jemaine Clement says We're Wolves sequel is officially moving forward after decade of delays

Jemaine Clement, one of the key creative forces behind What We Do in the Shadows, says the sequel We're Wolves is officially moving forward. The update comes after a decade of lingering development that fans have watched drag on for what feels like a full era of pop culture. Collider’s Steve Weintraub received the news from Clement directly.

Clement shared it while he was in the spotlight for another project, promoting Kiri and Lou Go Raaa! at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. That detail matters because it frames the moment as more than a casual fan-service update. Clement is actively working, showing up at major industry events, and talking about new work, which is often when studios and collaborators are most willing to turn older “in development” titles into real, schedulable plans.

Here is the core timeline that sets the stakes. In 2014, Clement and Taika Waititi broke out into the mainstream with the vampire mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows. A sequel was announced soon after the film’s debut. But it has lingered in development hell for roughly ten years. In other words, this is not a quick follow-up. It is a project that survived long enough to become part of the audience memory, which is exactly why the announcement feels like a genuine “moment” instead of a typical content rumor.

Fans did not just sit empty-handed during that long gap. The franchise added a TV spin-off to tide people over. That matters for executives and decision-makers because it shows how studios often manage IP inertia. When a film sequel stalls, the brand still needs to stay warm in the public consciousness. TV can do that. It can also keep talent attached, keep audiences primed, and provide proof that there is ongoing demand. The fact that a sequel was still talked about suggests the original thesis never went away. It just took time to find the right conditions to move.

Now the werewolf follow-up may be entering a different phase. Collider reports that We're Wolves is gaining momentum, and the language is not vague. Clement’s comment is positioned as an exclusive update from the source himself. For anyone making spending decisions, the difference between “announced” and “moving forward” is everything. “Announced” is cheap signaling. “Moving forward” implies active coordination, likely schedules, likely commitments, and at least some level of internal alignment.

There is also a broader industry angle hiding in the background. Clement is promoting his first stop-motion movie from New Zealand, Kiri and Lou Go Raaa! His presence at Annecy, a major animation festival, is not just a career footnote. It signals that he is operating in a space where projects can take years, and where production realities are understood by studios and partners. Stop-motion is labor-intensive, which means production teams are used to planning with long timelines, budgets, and careful execution. That production mindset can translate, indirectly, to how a stalled sequel gets re-scoped and re-started.

So what does this mean beyond fandom? First, it suggests that dormant IP can be re-activated when the creative and production ecosystem catches up. Second, it shows how successful mockumentary properties can extend across formats. The original movie became mainstream in 2014. Then a TV spin-off helped keep the universe alive. Now, a sequel is apparently stepping back onto the movie runway.

For peers in similar executive roles, the strategic stake is straightforward: time is the enemy of momentum, especially in entertainment where audience attention is constantly competing for space. A sequel that survives a decade of delays is an asset, but only if it can be converted into a releaseable plan before the audience’s memory fades or the creative energy moves on. Clement’s “officially moving forward” note is a reminder that studios do not just greenlight ideas. They also manage long relationships with talent, IP, and timing, and they only get credit when the work finally reaches screens.