Anchorman remains one of my favorite comedy movies of recent years. It just works, in a similar way to how The Hangover works, with a genius script and a cracking cast coming together to create laughs. So why hasn’t there been a sequel yet?
There’s actually been a lot of talk about a sequel, dating right back to May 2008, a full two years ago, but still nothing. Anchorman 2 is now very close to becoming reality, but there’s still one final hurdle to overcome, according to writer/director Adam McKay in an interview with MTV Movies:
“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.”
“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.”
So the cast are now all on board, although finding a time when they’re all available to shoot it is likely to still prove tricky. But it’s getting Paramount to green light the movie that seems to be the current hurdle.
I can see why Paramount is stalling, as the original hardly set the box office alight. But I happen to think Anchorman 2 would do much better. The Hangover proves that a comedy can do well if marketed correctly and released at the right time of the year. So let’s make Anchorman 2 a reality.
