There hasn’t been a new episode of IFC’s critically-acclaimed parody series Documentary Now! since the second season‘s “Mr. Runner Up: My Life as an Oscar Bridesmaid, Part 2,” which premiered back in October 2016. Even so, Fred Armisen and Bill Hader’s brilliant satire of the entertainment industry’s ongoing obsession with documentary-style films and television remains one of the best things to happen on TV in the past few years. Hence why a third season of episodes is slated for a 2019 debut, and one of these new entries, “Waiting for the Artist,” will feature Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett.
According to a press release, the Blue Jasmine and Thor: Ragnarok star will play “a world-renowned performance artist who feels pressured to put on the show of her life”:
Drawing inspiration from the 2012 documentary Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present, which follows conceptual artist Abramovic as she prepares for her art exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, “Waiting for the Artist” follows internationally acclaimed performance artist Izabella Barta (Blanchett) as she prepares for a major career retrospective, while reconciling her relationship with her former lover Dimo Van Omen (Armisen) — an infamous provocateur of the art world. The episode was shot on location in Budapest, Hungary earlier this summer.
Blake Callaway, IFC’s acting general manager, said the cable network “is on a bit of a roll” and praised Blanchett’s work in her episode. “Cate’s portrayal of an art world superstar has her doing it all,” he added. “Performance art, comedy, and even her own stunts.”
The new season of Documentary Now! is set to premiere February 20th, 2019 at 10 pm ET on IFC, and will consist of seven episodes, including Blanchett’s. Along with Armisen and Hader, the show was created by Seth Meyers and Rhys Thomas and is executive produced by Saturday Night Live maestro Lorne Michaels.
