Syfy took advantage of the annual May 4 “Star Wars” fan holiday to release the official poster for its upcoming film, Sharknado: The 4th Awakens.
No surprise, the new poster bears similarities to the theatrical poster for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
A long time ago in this galaxy “Star Wars” fans decided May 4 would be a good day to celebrate their beloved franchise. After all, “May the Fourth” rhymes with “May the Force”—as in, “May the Force be with you.”
The Fourth definitely is with fans of the “Sharknado” franchise. The next installment of the film series will air at 9/8c July 31 on Syfy. Ian Ziering returns as Fin Shepard, who will battle sharks and tornados five years after the events of “Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!”
Fin will get help from a long list of stars making cameo appearances.
Playing Astro-X rocket scientists and astrophysicists:
- Cynthia Bailey (“The Real Housewives of Atlanta”)
- Robert Herjavec (“Shark Tank”)
- Kym Johnson (“Dancing with the Stars”)
- Carrie Keagan (TV host)
- T’Keyah Crystal Keymah (“In Living Color”)
- “Baywatch” stars Gena Lee Nolin and Alexandra Paul
Also fighting the shark menace:
- Benjy Bronk (“The Howard Stern Show”) as a morning show host
- Duane Chapman (“Dog the Bounty Hunter”) as a chainsaw dealer
- Stacey Dash (actress and pundit) as the Mayor of Chicago
- Jay DeMarcus (Rascal Flatts) as manager of the Shark World hotel
- David Faustino (“Married with Children”) as a Las Vegas gambler
- Lori Greiner (“Shark Tank”) as a home shopping guru
- Frank Mir (MMA fighter) as head of security for the Shark World hotel
- Dr. Drew Pinsky (“Loveline”) as a pastor
- Patti Stanger (“Millionaire Matchmaker”) as a reporter
- Corey Taylor of Slipknot as a Shark World hotel security guard
Playing themselves:
- Vince Neil of Motley Crue
- Wayne Newton, aka Mr. Las Vegas
- Todd, Savannah and Grayson Chrisley (“Chrisley Knows Best”)
Tara Reid will return as April Wexler, revealing the outcome of the fan-voted #AprilLives or #AprilDies social campaign. Also reprising roles are David Hasselhoff as Gil Shepard and Ryan Newman as Claudia Shepard.
Update 7/6/16: New character descriptions announced for “Sharknado: The 4th Awakens” cast members.
- Gary Busey (“Lethal Weapon,” ”Celebrity Apprentice”) as Wilford Wexler, April’s father and a lead scientist at Astro-X. He’s at the forefront of advances in the field of robotics.
- Tommy Davidson (“Black Dynamite,” “In Living Color”) as Aston Reynolds, playboy tech billionaire. Aston is the CEO of tech company Astro-X, developers of a revolutionary energy system that can stabilize the atmosphere and prevent the formation of tornadoes.
- Imani Hakim (“Everybody Hates Chris”) as Gabrielle, Matt’s best friend and a fellow soldier. Gabrielle is tough and no-nonsense, can take care of herself and isn’t afraid to show what she’s capable of doing.
- Cody Linley (“Hannah Montana,” “Melissa & Joey”) as Matt, Fin and April’s eldest son. After surviving the first Sharknado, Matt finished flight school and joined the Army. He’s experienced the events of the last six years from afar and longs to reunite with his American Hero father.
- Masiela Lusha (“George Lopez”) as Gemini, Fin’s cousin. Ever resourceful, Gemini is chock full of shark-busting attitude and is ready to dive into the fight once the sharks hit the fan.
- Cheryl Tiegs (“The Apprentice”) as Raye, Fin’s mother and Col. Gil Shepard’s ex-wife. Raye is a little bit of a former flower child, but not afraid to speak her mind or protect her family.
“Sharknado: The 4th Awakens” is a production of The Asylum. Anthony C. Ferrante returns to direct an original screenplay written by Thunder Levin.
Sharknado: The 4th Awakens poster
