A Condensed History Of The Cornetto Trilogy

On April 20, 2007, Edgar Wright‘s Hot Fuzz debuted. The uproarious adrenaline rush starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as small-town cops in rural England served as an homage to the greatest action films in recent memory and managed to put a fresh, funny spin on the genre. It was also the second cinematic collaboration between Wright, Pegg, and Frost, the first having been 2004 zombie rom-com Shaun of the Dead (the trio had also worked together on British sitcom Spaced). The trio would again work together in 2013 sci-fi comedy The World’s End – and these three comedy-hybrids, written by Wright and Pegg, became the Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy (also sometimes referred to as the ‘Blood & Ice Cream Trilogy’).

Unlike a traditional trilogy, the three films are not connected by universe or narrative, but rather by common themes, running gags, Wright’s signature kinetic directing style, and Cornetto ice cream cones. In Shaun of the Dead, Wright had originally written the Cornetto to be a hangover cure for Frost’s character (based on Wright’s real experience in this department), and the U.K. treat ended up being a part of several throwaway jokes in the film. Shaun of the Dead was originally inspired by an episode of Spaced called “Art” in which Pegg’s character takes amphetamines, plays too much Resident Evil 2, and hallucinates that he’s fighting off a zombie invasion. In Wright’s trademark style, the film proves to be a genre mash-up – a romantic comedy/friendship film wrapped up in a zombie flick. Many running jokes that carry over into the rest of the trilogy begin here; obviously the Cornetto ice cream, the garden fence gag, doppelgänger pairs, films within films, and more. The films are also known for stashing a plethora of Easter Eggs and unconventional narrative methods, as well as paying homage to the films that inspired them.

Hot Fuzz, the now 10-year-old buddy comedy flick, was developed largely because Wright felt there was a lack of classic cop action films in the United Kingdom. Wright and Pegg spent 18 months writing, interviewing police officers, and watching 138 cop-related films for references and dialogue – and wound up with their own brand of cop flick. The film itself features a slew of references to the films that it draws inspiration from; Lethal Weapon, Supercop, Point Break, and Bad Boys II are just a few of them.

It was during the promotion of Hot Fuzz that the “Cornetto Trilogy” name was born; a U.K. journalist asked Wright if the Cornetto ice cream was “going to be your theme as a trilogy?” and Wright responded “Yes, it’s like Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Three Colors trilogy. This is the Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy.”

The World’s End, the final film in the trilogy, acknowledged the aging of the group. A group of friends (Pegg, Frost, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, and Eddie Marsan) embark on an epic pub crawl in their hometown, only to discover that the town has been overtaken by an alien invasion. The script began as a screenplay called Crawl that Wright had written at the age of 21, and with this new iteration, Wright aimed to capture “the bittersweet feeling of returning to your hometown and feeling like a stranger.” One of the most entertaining aspects of The World’s End is that each of the twelve pubs boasts a name that relates to the scene that takes place in them. Like the other two films in the trilogy, The World’s End addresses the lead character (played by Pegg in all three) and his inability – or unwillingness – to change, until something incredibly drastic happens.

On the DVD commentaries for the films, Wright explains that each of the films feature a different flavor of Cornetto that represent a thematic element; in Shaun of the Dead, the red-wrapped strawberry flavor represents the bloody, gory elements of the film, in Hot Fuzz, the original blue Cornetto wrapper represents the police element of the film, and in The World’s End, the green-wrapped mint chocolate chip flavor represents science fiction and “little green men” for the alien element of the film.

While the trio was intended to reunite for 2011 alien comedy Paul, Wright departed the project to take on Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and the project went to Superbad director Greg Mottola. They ended up coming together for The World’s End to complete their trilogy instead.

Wright’s distinctive directing style combined with Pegg’s writing and performance skills and Frost’s natural knack for comedy have all combined to make one of the most unique pop culture landmarks in recent memory. These comedy-hybrids prove that the genre can be elevated and should be respected just as much as any intense drama, and that auteurism is alive and well. While there aren’t any new Wright/Pegg/Frost projects in development currently, Pegg and Frost recently announced they were working on a project together, and one can only hope Wright throws his hat in the ring, too (and fingers crossed that Pegg and Frost make a cameo of some kind in Wright’s latest fantastic flick, Baby Driver).