Are you ready to go one on one with the Undertaker, playa? You’ll get your chance in Netflix's latest interactive special, Escape The Undertaker.
The interactive special acts similar to other Netflix interactive “games” like You vs. Wild and Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and sees viewers (players?) take control of WWE’s The New Day — Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods — as they try to traverse the Undertaker’s haunted mansion. The special will release on Tuesday, October 5, just in time for Halloween.
“In this interactive film featuring WWE Superstars, The Undertaker has set a trap for the decorated tag team The New Day at his mansion,” a Netflix synopsis reads. “What they don’t know: The Undertaker’s mansion is an extreme Haunted House, packed to the brim with supernatural challenges. It’s up to viewers to decide the fate of these three poor souls trying to survive the wrath of The Undertaker.”
For the uninitiated, the Undertaker is a former multi-time WWE champion and is one of the most iconic and revered characters in pro wrestling history. The character is portrayed as a supernatural being, capable of lightning strikes and other feats, and is often associated with other ghoulish and dark beings. The New Day are a trio of goofballs who have been wrestling fans their whole lives and let it shine through their on-screen and off-screen personas. Kingston, Woods, and E will no doubt bring inside jokes, slapstick comedy, and plenty of pancakes to Taker’s mansion.
But will they be the only WWE superstars involved? Probably not. Expect to see appearances from other current and former stars, especially those who are intertwined with both acts involved. Undertaker’s on-screen brother Kane will likely play a part, as could acts like The Usos, Roman Reigns, Cesaro, and other members of Woods’ “UpUpDownDown” crew. Two other names to look out for are John Cena and Edge, as both men are big fans of poking fun at pro wrestling, evidenced by Cena’s pivotal role as Lance Catamaran in WWE’s Southpaw Regional Wrestling YouTube series, as well as Edge’s presence on The Edge & Christian Show a WWE Network variety show that often plays around with the idea of pro wrestling as a serious entity.
Peacock
Peacock is a subscription video streaming service from NBCUniversal that includes original shows, blockbuster movies, and classic television series. Peacock is home to “Yellowstone,” and “The Office,” as well as original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports including NFL, MLB, WWE, Olympics, Premier League, NASCAR, French Open, College Football and Basketball, and PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.
Netflix is ramping up its interactive entertainment offerings thanks to a new initiative that saw the creation of “Netflix Gaming,” an entirely new content category for them. “We view gaming as another new content category for us, similar to our expansion into original films, animation, and unscripted TV,”the company said in its 2021 2Q shareholder letter released in July. We know Netflix’s gaming offerings are likely to be simple in nature, especially as many subscribers lack the gaming power of a gaming PC or an Xbox or Playstation console, and are restricted to what a smart TV or streaming device can handle. Netflix has already started beta testing its games overseas, as it let fans in Poland try out two games based on the Stranger Things universe.