Adam McKay: Budget Now the Primary Obstacle for ‘Anchorman 2′
Adam McKay and Will Ferrell
For the past two years, we’ve heard about scheduling conflicts holding up Anchorman 2. Now Director/Co-Writer Adam McKay tells MTV that the original cast is lined up, with initial plans of shooting in early 2011, but one thing stands in its way: Paramount greenlighting its budget.
McKay states that Steve Carell and Paul Rudd have agreed to cut their price “substantially” to get the sequel made next year. McKay and Will Ferrell had originally set a timeline of writing the script this Fall, and filming in early 2011 (presumably jockeying a year early for Carell’s Office hiatus.) However, even with the cast taking paycuts, Paramount is reluctant to bank on a sequel to a film whose box office totaled just over $85 million.
McKay goes on to point out Anchorman’s huge revenue on DVD and cable television, using the Austin Powers franchise as the box office path they’re trying to follow:
” ‘Austin Powers‘ didn’t make a ton of movie in its first go-round and then it caught fire in the next one,” he said. “We’re hoping they’ll look more at that sort of projection.”
With the stall in securing a budget,McKay isn’t sure the film can make his original timeline. But if Anchorman 2 does go into production, he hints that the long-rumored 1980’s plot would happen, but only as “the framework.”
“That’s loosely what the idea is,” McKay said of the ’80s plot. “That’s 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.”
Could this mean McKay is considering something as over-the-top as the ‘Anchorman in Space’ rumor Paul Rudd mentioned 2 years ago? Let’s hope Paramount ponies up a budget so we can find out.
It’s nice that Carell and Rudd have cut their fees, but honestly how much would they be paid compared to Will Ferrell? Carell gets what $5 million? That’s a quarter of Will’s asking price, right? And, will Will be cutting *his* fee for Anchorman 2? Hmm…
Nonetheless, of course this is the movie we’re all waiting for!
If this is going to happen, they must keep Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Jack Black, and Vince Vaughn in the movie. Then add Owen Wilson to make it a Frat Pack all-star movie….then induct Paul Rudd.
Is David Koechner or Christina Applegate going to be in the sequel?
Whoops, sorry Nathan, forgot to include that. McKay specifically mentions that Carell, Rudd, Koechner and Applegate have all committed to doing it.
yeah i’m thinking will should do a percentage type deal
While it’d be nice to get Stiller, Luke Wilson, and Jables back for the sequel, Vince Vaughn is the most important outside of the channel 4 news team. The Burgandy-Mantooth rivalry is classic
I’m with Tom on this one. Unfortunately, it seems incredibly unlikely Vaughn would do this as he has all but left the Pack behind to do films with his own crew. Which is really too bad.
I would love the ultimate frat pack film, but if Vince, Luke, Jack, and Stiller can’t be in it I would not be upset. I just want to see Anchorman 2 with the main original cast.