Three months ago, Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi released a short video explaining where Thor had been during the events of Captain America: Civil War and in it, introduced his “new roommate” Daryl. It was the type of mundane comedy that only worked because the idea of a god like Thor having to deal with run-of-the-mill roommate problems is in itself very funny.
That’s what a new fan series, Kyloki, does with the show’s three main characters: Loki, Kylo Ren and their third roommate, Matt. In the series, Loki and Kylo Ren retain their superhuman characteristics — Loki can disappear and reappear in a flash while Kylo Ren walks around with his lightsaber — but Matt is just a normal, human dude. Like Waititi’s short, the series finds its humor in Loki and Kylo Ren’s distrust and contempt for each other while Matt tries to mediate the situation.
Unlike Waititi’s video, which came about as a way to explain Thor’s absence during the implosion of the Avengers in Civil War, Kyloki creators Arielle Waldman and Jordan Henry said they came up with the idea after seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens. According to the creators, it was only a few minutes after the movie ended they realized that Kylo Ren and Loki actually had a quite a bit in common and, as creative writers and filmmakers, they wanted to tackle the humor they found in that comparison.
“They’re both outcasts, they both have daddy issues, and they both have great hair,” Waldman told Polygon. “The next thought was ‘What if they were roommates?’ and the idea for Kyloki was born.”
Henry said that the idea was to originally write a few sketches that revolved around the idea of Loki and Kylo Ren as roommates, but she and Waldman both fell in love with the characters pretty quickly. It was an easy concept for the two to turn into a series, Waldman added, because issues with roommates is a topic almost everyone can relate to. On top of that, Waldman said, there are so many different scenarios that can be explored because of how relatable the issues are that they won’t have to worry about running out of ideas.
In the show’s pilot, Matt calls a meeting to discuss the unequal distribution of chores among the roommates. During the meeting, Kylo Ren’s anger issues are brought up, along with Loki’s vanity obsession. While the comedy is heightened by the fact that one has a lightsaber and the other is a demi-god, the core of the humor is still rooted in the idea that three people who are different in so many ways are trying to live together under one roof.
“Kylo Ren and Loki might be out doing these epic things in the movies, but at the end of the day, they’re both kind of whiny and neither of them wants to do household chores,” Henry said. “We wanted to focus on how typical roommate problems could humorously escalate if the roommates were also super villains.”
Right now, the show mainly focuses on the three main characters, but both Waldman and Henry want to bring in more Marvel and Star Wars figures as the series continues. In episode six, more characters will start to be introduced, but the goal is to get parodied versions of Captain Phasma, Maria Hill and General Hux on the show at some point.
The one other aspect that Waldman and Henry are set on making happen is taking the characters outside of their apartment walls. The two creators want to eventually move Loki, Matt and Kylo Ren to a bar setting that’s essentially “the modern hipster version of the Star Wars Cantina,” according to Henry. Right now, the team is trying to figure out a logistical way to do that while keeping costs low.
“We shot the entire series in my apartment over several weekends with Jordan’s apartment serving as the costume department, hair and makeup base, craft services, and more,” Waldman said. “Maneuvering all the cast, crew, and equipment in such tight spaces was quite a feat! Unlike Matt, we luckily have roommates who are wonderful and very understanding.”
There are currently four episodes of Kyloki available to stream now. The pilot can be seen at the top of this page.
