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Adam McKay Teases 'Anchorman 2' Details and Other Cast Returns

by Ethan Anderton
April 11, 2012
Source: THR

The news of an Anchorman sequel actually coming together is just about one of the best pieces of information to hit the internet in a long time. By the time the sequel hits theaters, it will have been nearly 10 years since the first film arrived on the scene and became a catchphrase machine for cinephiles and college students alike. Since then the film's stars Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner and even Christina Applegate and Vince Vaughn have become even bigger stars. The good news is that aside from the Channel 4 News Team returning, it sounds like most of the supporting cast will be back too.

Director Adam McKay recently sat down with THR to discuss how the once dead Anchorman sequel came back to life after Paramount had already passed on the project, and decided it wasn't worth funding:

"In like November, just for the hell of it, [our manager] Jimmy Miller called and was like, 'Hey, is there any change?' And they were like, 'No, that’s what it is.' So now it’s really, really 100% dead, and Ferrell and I are sitting down and there’s talk of doing 'Step Brothers 2,' and we were going to line that up at Sony and we were like, 'You know what? That’ll be our sequel. The first one was so much fun, we’ll go do that.' But I keep hearing from everyone: 'Anchorman 2,' 'Anchorman 2,' 'Anchorman 2'... So we’re about to set sail on 'Step Brothers 2,' and I go to Jimmy, 'Can you just check one last time?' And he goes, 'It’s a waste of time. We’ve already checked three times.' I go, 'Just call, I just need to hear it one last time.' And he said, 'I’m telling you, it’s a waste of time.' So Ari Emanuel, my agent, is like, 'Fine, I don’t give a shit, I’ll call.' So he calls, and he goes, 'They’re interested.' And we’re all immediately like, 'Screw you, we’re wasting time.' And he’s like, 'No, no, they’re interested.' Next thing you know, I hear from [studio head Adam] Goodman, going, 'Hey, we’ve got a shot.' I guess a movie fell through for them or something, and that was it."

Ironically enough, it sounds like that failed project was a comedy with Anchorman cast members Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn in the leads, but when Paramount crunched the numbers, they realized they were taking a bigger risk with an original comedy with established stars, then an established comedy with a big following along with their already bankable cast. McKay also points out that he had been helping out Paramount with Sacha Baron Cohen's new comedy The Dictator and they seemed to be pleased with his continued work and their relationship to give the sequel a real shot.

The good news is that the increased star power of their original cast likely won't stop them from returning. McKay commented on the return of a couple supporting members in the form of Christina Applegate and Vince Vaughn. As for Veronica Corningstone's involvement, McKay says, "we already have talked about the story and it looks like there will be something for her," and the return of Vaughn's Wes Mantooth seems part of the statement he makes mentioning, "Yeah, they’re all in." Does that mean another cameo from Ben Stiller and Spanish News, Luke Wilson and the third place news team, and Tim Robbins on public broadcasting? We'll just have to wait and see. Either way, we only have a slight tease of where the sequel might take our characters.

McKay only teased the story saying, "We have a basic idea. I’ll tell you we’re staying roughly period, and I would just say it’s the next stage in the development of American media and news. The fun of these characters is they confront change very poorly. [laughs] So they’ve got some more change coming their way. I can say that pretty safely." He also recently mentioned "custody battle" and "bowling for dollars" as a couple phrases to Slate, hinting at some plot ideas being thrown around.

The good news is that we might not have to wait too long to find out more as McKay is hoping to start shooting in January or February of next year and maybe have the theaters in Christmas of 2013 by the earliest, or May of 2014 at the latest. And if you're one of those who is worried that it just won't be as good as the original Anchorman, McKay says, "The funny thing is we re-watched it for the first time in four or five years the other day. I had seen pieces of it on TV. But Will and I actually sat and watched the whole movie. When it was over with, we were like, 'We’ve gotten a lot better than that! [laughs]'" Either way, we can't wait to get back to our home on whore island.

Filed under Development, Movie News

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