1984 marked the directorial debut of Rob Reiner with This Is Spinal Tap, a mockumentary following the fictional band Spinal Tap. On Monday, Reiner announced that This is Spinal Tap will be getting a sequel, and filming will begin early next year.
The original film starred Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer as band members of the titular heavy metal group, penned as “one of England’s loudest bands.” Upon release, it received abundant critical praise but lukewarm commercial success. Over the years, it has developed a cult following. So, how will Reiner continue this story and who will bring it to life?
Rob Reiner announces a sequel to ‘This Is Spinal Tap’
A film package for a Spinal Tap sequel originally launched sales back during the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. At that time, it was expected to be released on March 19, 2024. However, the dual Hollywood strikes shook up the projected production schedule. By time of writing, there is no new expected release date.
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What is known, however, is a bit of the cast. British Invasion icons Paul McCartney and Elton John, as well as two-time Grammy winner Garth Brooks, will be part of the cast this time around. Reiner returns as documentarian Martin “Marty” Di Bergi. It is additionally reported that Guest, McKean, and Shearer will be reprising their roles as the members of Spinal Tap for the sequel.
Bringing the sequel to the screen
“We never thought we would do a sequel,” Reiner previously told NME. “It was only because we started to talk to each other and we came up with an idea we think might work — we don’t know it will. We’re going to try. The bar is incredibly high. We debated whether or not we should do it… I said, ‘Look at us, we’re all in our 70s. How much time are we going to have [left] to have some fun?'”
A majority of the film was improvised, with hours upon hours of footage recorded. While that itself displays a mastery of comedy, Reiner is mindful of another big rule. “You don’t want us to cock it up! That’s the thing: We wouldn’t try unless we thought we had something that could work.”
He believes, fundamentally, “You don’t want to overstay your welcome,” adding, “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.”
