Once and Future Features Amazing Hot Fuzz Cameo

Once and Future has become a bonafide hit over the past year, bringing an unconventional take on family, legacy, and the various monsters of mythology. Its ten issues thus far have thrown quite a lot at readers, and the latest installment is certainly no exception. In between some major character beats and a terrifying monster, Once and Future featured its most unexpected Easter egg — an overt (and gruesome) tie to the 2007 Edgar Wright film Hot Fuzz. Obviously, spoilers for Once and Future #10 below! Only look if you want to know!

The issue followed a conflict between the series’ ensemble and a Grendel, which took an unexpected turn when the authorities arrived. A trio of police officers, who made an epic entrance despite standing in the rain, confronted the Grendel. Things quickly went awry when the Grendel lunged at the middle officer, brutally eating half of his body and killing him.

For those who are familiar with Hot Fuzz, these officers definitely looked familiar, only making the moment a bit more impactful. The two leftmost officers are clearly a play on Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) and Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), down to the screen-accurate costumes that both wear. Granted, their presence in the culminates in a pretty bloody way, but it’s still an epic cameo nonetheless, and we can’t help but want to see the other two films in Wright’s “Cornetto Trilogy” – Shaun of the Dead and The World’s End – weave their way into Once and Future as well.

In recent years, fans have campaigned for Hot Fuzz to get a proper sequel — something that Pegg himself sees the need for.

“I think it’s the one film out of those three movies that lends itself to a sequel, in that, those kind of buddy-cop action movies often were sequelized,” Pegg shared in an interview earlier this year. “We already joked about having a Crocodile Dundee reversal of it being Danny in the city… The hypothetical sequel would be Danny and Angel in the big city together. We also had an idea for a spinoff with the Andys, with Paddy [Considine] and Rafe [Spall].”

“But I don’t know. Edgar and I, when we’ve done something, we want to move onto the next thing,” Wright continued. “All of those films, they have an arc and then they finish… We made Shaun of the Dead, and the sequel to that film is Hot Fuzz, and the sequel to Hot Fuzz is The World’s End. They’re a thematic trilogy rather than direct sequels. I’d love to play Nicholas Angel again, that was fun. I’m probably too old now.”

What do you think of Hot Fuzz‘s cameo in Once and Future? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!