Media Release: Wednesday, July 15, 2015.
Starring Kit Harington and Andy Samberg
With appearances by Lena Dunham, John McEnroe, Michael Sheen, Mary Steenburgen, Serena Williams and more
Premieres Saturday, August 8 at 7.30pm EST
Outrageous sports mockumentary 7 Days in Hell starring Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) and Andy Samberg (Saturday Night Live) will premiere exclusively on Foxtel’s showcase channel on Saturday, August 8 at 7.30pm EST.
This star-studded, 45-minute comedy spoof takes an irreverent look at a pair of fictional pro tennis archrivals (Harington and Samberg) from the not-too-distant past, who played a match to end all tennis matches: a seven-day, five-set Wimbledon marathon that took everything, literally, out of the two.
In addition to highlights (and lowlights) from the match, 7 Days in Hell looks back, documentary-style, at the lives and careers of the two competitors: Aaron Williams (Samberg), the adopted brother of Serena and Venus Williams, whose behaviour on his best day trumped John McEnroe’s on his worst, and Charles Poole (Harington), a dim-witted prodigy who carried England’s pre-Murray hopes for a Wimbledon champion on his shoulders.
Hilariously colouring the backstory of these faux-superstars are a parade of well-known guests, portraying fictional characters or tongue-in-cheek versions of themselves, including Michael Sheen (The Queen, Frost/Nixon) as a lecherous TV journalist; Mary Steenburgen (Togetherness) as Charles’ domineering mum; Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) as Charles’ childhood love (who later made a sex tape with Aaron); Will Forte (Last Man on Earth, SNL) as a tennis historian; Fred Armisen (Portlandia, SNL) as the former chair of the All-England Club and Lena Dunham (Girls) as a short-lived Jordache executive.
Also appearing are David Copperfield as himself, a party pal of Aaron and Rod Stewart; June Squibb (Nebraska) as a crass and boozy Queen of England; Howie Mandel (America’s Got Talent) as the hapless Duke of Kent; HBO sports personalities Jim Lampley and Soledad O’Brien, along with tennis legends John McEnroe, Chris Evert and current World #1 Serena Williams, portraying Aaron’s adoptive sister.
Kit Harington stars as Jon Snow in HBO’s worldwide mega hit, Game of Thrones.
Andy Samberg is one of television’s most recognisable comedic actors, winning a Golden Globe Award for his role in the TV series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He was a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 2005-12.
7 Days in Hell is written by Murray Miller, an executive producer and writer on Girls. The film
is directed by Jake Szymanski, who has built a reputation for directing some of the funniest short films on the Funny or Die website, as well as for his work on Saturday Night Live.
-Brad