Filmmaker Rob Reiner is returning back to the realm of This Is Spinal Tap, as he’s gearing up a sequel to the beloved 1984, classic mockumentary feature. During a recent podcast appearance on RHLSTP With Richard Herring, Reiner revealed that filming finally stars on This Is Spinal Tap 2 later in February 2024, and and some major cameos are planned for the project.
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According to Reiner, the upcoming sequel will feature appearances from some real-life music legends, including Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Garth Brooks. Meanwhile, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer are all attached to return and reprise their roles from the original as the members of the fictional rocker group, Spinal Tap. Also, Reiner will reprise his role from the original film as the documentary filmmaker Martin “Marty” Di Bergi.
ROB REINER GEARING UP THIS IS SPINAL TAP SEQUEL FOR FEBRUARY SHOOT
The filmmaker behind such timeless classics, such as The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally, made his directorial debut for the 1984 mockumentary feature, which was also selected by the National Film Registry and deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the Library of Congress in 2002. The original film featured a script that was mostly improvised. Reiner said on who he’s bringing on for the sequel, “The only thing that matters is that you get people who are good at improvising.” He continued, “You have to get people who feel comfortable doing that … then you’re off to the races.”
The director and actor also shared his advice on filmmaking during the podcast. He stated, “You don’t want to overstay your welcome.” Reiner added, “This is [like] stand-up — you leave them wanting. You go off on a big laugh and go out. The worst thing you could do is just load it up with, even if they’re funny things, they may be tangents and things that take away from the drive of the film.”
The sequel was first announced in May 2022, and there haven’t been many updates on the project until now. So it’s good to hear that it’s still on track and filming will finally kick off early next year. Things were more than likely delayed by the recent WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
The upcoming sequel will feature the return of filmmaker Marty DiBergi, who is now making a sequel to his previous film-within-a-film. McKean is back as David St. Hubbins, Shearer is back as Derek Smalls, and Guest is back as Nugel Tufnel. The group is best described as “the nucleus of England’s loudest and most punctual heavy metal band.”
The story will involve Spinal Tap reuniting for one final concert. DiBergi now sees this as an opportunity to make things right with the band, who saw This Is Spinal Tap as a hatchet job. Now, DiBergi leaves his career as a visiting adjunct teacher’s assistant at the Ed Wood School of Cinematic Arts to pursue film history by making another documentary about the band.
The sequel has been conceived by Guest, McKean, Reiner, and Shearer. Frank Marshall is producing with Castle Rock financing the film. Meanwhile, Matthew George, Jonathan Fuhrman, and Hernan Narea serve as executive producers on Castle Rock’s behalf for the upcoming project. This Is Spinal Tap 2 is currently in the works. It does not yet have an official release date.
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What do you think of the news? Are you looking forward to the This Is Spinal Tap sequel? Are there any artists you’d like to see cameo in the film? Do you think the original is a cult classic? Let us know your thoughts about the news on The Illuminerdi’s social media.
SOURCE: RHLSTP With Richard Herring, Variety
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