Joel McHale to Star in Next Short From ‘Open Door’ Director Kevin Cate

Joel McHale will star in the next short film from director Kevin Cate, the pair confirmed Friday in a collaborative video. Variety reported the casting on Oct. 23. Details released so far cover McHale’s role and little else about the project.

Cate is set to collaborate again with the same core team that made “Open Door,” “Birthday Flight” and “Unbearable Christmas,” under his Clinging Vine Films banner. The confirmation appeared in a video Cate posted to Instagram, which Variety included with its report.

The news follows a run of short films that found large audiences online. Cate’s 2023 sci-fi short “Open Door” received 15 million views across YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Instagram, according to Variety. That film is going to be adapted into a feature.

Alongside those feature plans, Cate has been directing his first feature, “Unbearable Christmas,” starring Julia Stiles and Alex Moffat. He also released his latest short, “Birthday Flight,” in September. Variety said that film has hit a million views on various platforms.

McHale comes to the short with a long record as a host and comic actor. Variety described him as a comedic ringer known for an acerbic wit on current series including “The 1% Club,” “House of Villains” and “Crime Scene Kitchen.” He also stars on the Fox sitcom “Animal Control,” now in its fifth season.

Earlier television work still defines much of his public profile. He hosted the cult favorite clip show “The Soup” and starred in “Community,” which Variety called a sitcom that ended too soon. Those series kept him in weekly view for years and fixed the sharp delivery audiences still associate with him.

His film appearances this year include “Scream 7” and the satire “Stop! That! Train!” Variety also noted earlier roles in “Spider-Man 2,” “Ted,” “Becky” and “Blended.” The list shows a performer who moves between hosting jobs, ensemble comedy and supporting parts in studio films.

The collaboration matters because it joins a widely recognized television performer with a filmmaker whose recent reach has come from short films posted online. Variety described McHale’s next move as one that could be a viral sensation. The same report made clear that the short’s story, length and release plans remain unannounced.

Any connection to the world of “Open Door” or “Birthday Flight” is still unstated, as is a production timeline. What is on the record is a returning crew under Clinging Vine Films and a lead whose name is already familiar from network television and studio films.

The next public steps are likely to come from Cate’s own posts and from further reporting on the untitled short. In the meantime, Cate’s slate already includes the feature adaptation of “Open Door,” the Julia Stiles feature “Unbearable Christmas,” and “Birthday Flight,” which continues to circulate after its September release. Viewers waiting on the McHale project have the Instagram announcement as the first look at the pairing.