Will There Be an Anchorman Sequel?
Posted 04.30.10 by Ryan
News of an Anchorman sequel began two years ago when Will Ferrell and director Adam McKay announced plans to make another installment set in the 1980s and then, last year, Ferrell began talking scheduling for the sequel. With the careers of cast members Paul Rudd, David Koechner, and Steve Carell blossoming next to Ferrell's, informal scheduling talks began last year. While assembling the cast again looked doubtful last year, McKay told MTV that the sequel is in Paramount's hands.
We had an idea and we contacted Steve and Paul and [David] Koechner and Christina [Applegate] and checked in with everyone and they were all game for it. The stage we're at now is talking to Paramount and trying to get the money to do it. It's a tricky movie because everyone went and did really well after it, so everyone's prices went up and everyone's time got a little more valuable. But at the same time, graciously, Steve and Paul and everyone agreed to cut their price to come and do [the sequel], which you don't see very often in Hollywood—and cut their price substantially. But even with that, it's just a budgetary thing with Paramount in terms of how much they'll give us to make it.
McKay confirmed that the 1980s time frame was a significant aspect of the sequel.
That's loosely what the idea is. [The '80s angle is] more the frame of it. We have this other, bigger, crazier idea that's really more what it's about, which I can't say. Our thinking was there's just no way the second one is going to be as good as the first, because the first one is the first one. So our idea is if we're going to do a second one, we better go for it and try some insane stuff and we'll be enjoying it and that way it can't be half bad.
Should Paramount agree to make the movie, McKay says the plan would be to write that the script this fall for a February 2011 start. Considering the first movie made $90 million dollars on a budget of $26 million, and the actors are willing to take a significant pay cut, Anchorman 2 should seem like a slam dunk to Paramount. Or perhaps not. McKay announced via his Twitter account that Paramount wasn't interested.
So bummed. Paramount basically passed on Anchorman 2. Even after we cut our budget down. We tried.
Couldn't McKay and company move the sequel to another studio?
To all who asked: no we can't do Anchorman 2 at another studio. Paramount owns it.
So long, Ron Burgundy. Stay classy.