Nearly 40 years after the original 1984 rock mockumentary 'This is Spinal Tap', the original cast and director are returning to put together a sequel.
Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest are all attached to return to their original roles within the legendary heavy metal band 'Spinal Tap'. Rob Reiner, who directed the original film, will also return behind the camera.
Reiner will also return as the filmmaker from the original, Marty DiBiergi. The upcoming project will be in the style of Martin Scorsese's 'The Last Waltz', which followed he farewell tour of The Band, a Canadian rock group. The sequel will also feature real life celebrities and musicians, who are as yet unnamed.
'This is Spinal Tap' released in 1984 and followed the American tour of the fictitious British metal group Spinal Tap. McKean played David St. Hubbins, the lead singer and rhythm guitarist. Guest was Nigel Tufnel, the lead guitarist. Shearer portrayed Derek Smalls, the band’s bassist.
The film received critical acclaim upon its release and has since become a classic. In 2002, it was subsequently selected for preservation by the National Film Registry after it was deemed "culturally, historically and aesthetically significant."
'Spinal Tap was Reiner's directorial debut. He went on to direct classic films such as 'Stand By Me', 'The Princess Bride' and 'When Harry Met Sally'.
"The plan is to do a sequel that comes out on the 40th anniversary of the original film and I can tell you hardly a day goes by without someone saying, why don't you do another one?" Reiner told Deadline. "For so many years, we said, 'nah.' It wasn't until we came up with the right idea how to do this. You don’t want to just do it, to do it. You want to honour the first one and push it a little further with the story."
Reiner also spoke a little about the premise of the sequel. "The band was upset with the first film. They thought [DiBiergi] did a hatchet job and this is a chance to redeem myself."
'Spinal Tap 2' releases March 19, 2024.
