RiffTrax and Shout! Studios have partnered to produce four new episodes of the cult classic Mystery Science Theater 3000. Original stars Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett, and Mary Jo Pehl will reprise their roles. A Kickstarter campaign launched to celebrate RiffTrax's 20th anniversary, though production proceeds regardless of funding.
Variety has exclusively reported that RiffTrax and Shout! Studios are collaborating on four new episodes of "Mystery Science Theater 3000," titled "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The RiffTrax Experiments." The creative leads are RiffTrax stars and original MST3K alumni Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett. Nelson will reprise his onscreen role as Mike Nelson, Murphy as Tom Servo and Professor Bobo, Corbett as Crow T. Robot and Brain Guy, and Mary Jo Pehl as Pearl Forrester.
A Kickstarter campaign went live to raise $20,000 in honor of RiffTrax's 20th anniversary and provide production updates to fans. It runs through March 16, but the episodes will be produced irrespective of the total raised. The featured movies will be revealed during the campaign. Production occurs in Minneapolis, the original filming location, with release planned later this year on RiffTrax's website. The team commits to using cheap practical sets and props, echoing the original show's style.
"Getting a chance to revisit ‘MST’ after all this time has really energized all of us at RiffTrax," Nelson said. "And for my part, hey, I truly did miss standing next to plastic puppets. It’s been too long."
Matt Arsulich, associate vice president of product management at Shout! Studios, a Radial Entertainment company, added: "We’re excited to join forces with RiffTrax as Mike, Kevin, and Bill return to the Satellite of Love for a new chapter of ‘MST3K.’ This partnership reinforces our dedication to growing valuable entertainment properties by serving their fandoms with high-quality storytelling."
Since 2006, Nelson, Corbett, and Murphy have performed under RiffTrax, riffing over 1,000 short films, blockbusters, low-budget movies, and TV shows, including live screenings. This news follows Joel Hodgson's sale of his MST3K interest to Radial Entertainment two weeks prior. Hodgson created the original series, which began in 1988 on a Minneapolis UHF station, moved to Comedy Central, and ended on the Sci-Fi Channel in 1999 after 197 episodes. A 1996 feature film riffed "This Island Earth." Revivals included an 11th season in 2015 via a $6.3 million Kickstarter, streamed on Netflix, and a 13th season on The Gizmoplex.