Is Bradley Cooper In ‘Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later’?

When Wet Hot American Summer became a cult hit (definitely not a box office or critical hit, that’s for sure) back in 2001, comedy fans flocked to it because of the involvement of the guys from The State or well-known actors like Paul Rudd or Janeane Garofalo. No one knew at the time that WHAS featured two future superstars: Elizabeth Banks and Bradley Cooper. Since Wet Hot came and went, both of those actors have become genuine Hollywood movie stars, way bigger than anyone else in the crazy camp comedy’s cast. Banks and Cooper returned for 2015’s Netflix original Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, and Banks has been front and center in the promotion for the new season, Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later.

But what about Bradley Cooper? Did the three-time Academy Award nominee clear out time in his schedule to return to Camp Firewood for a reunion? After all, it was Cooper’s character Ben that suggested the gang all reunite ten years later in the first place!

So, did Bradley Cooper make it his beeswax to be in Ten Years Later? The answer is… no. Bradley Cooper did not make it his beeswax to be in Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later. Bradley Cooper’s a busy, movie-making guy! He’s directing and starring in 2018’s A Star Is Born!

But instead of writing Ben out and leaving Michael Ian Black’s McKinley single and ready to mingle, the brains behind the WHAS franchise came up with a solution. Enter: Adam Scott. The Parks and Recreation alum takes over for Cooper, with a nose job (Ben had a deviated septum!) used as an excuse for the character’s change in appearance. Ben (played by Scott) worries that no one will recognize him post-surgery, but he’s totally wrong. Everyone recognizes him instantly and Susie (Amy Poehler) even comments that he looks better than before.

WHAS co-creator David Wain told EW that Cooper thought the recasting was funny and said the movie star might still return for future WHAS seasons. While it’s a bummer that Cooper wasn’t available to reprise his role, there is a major upside to the recasting: a PARKS AND REC REUNION! Adam Scott and Amy Poehler (a.k.a. Ben Wyatt and Leslie Knope) share the screen once again in a moment that’s definitely going to play on multiple levels for fans of Parks and Wet Hot.

And if you’re wondering how this recasting affects the glimpse of 1991 that we saw back in the original movie, you’ll be surprised to learn that–for some reason–Bradley Cooper wasn’t in that scene, either!

There’s no way they knew at the time that Cooper would be recast 16 years later with Party of Five’s Adam Scott–or maybe they did? Strange things happen in the world of Wet Hot.

Where to stream Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later