One of the greatest moments in the original "Anchorman" movie didn't take place until the very end of the 2004 news spoof when the cast got super funky to the stains of the soft rock staple "Afternoon Delight."
Well, in addition to the return of Ron Burgundy, Brian Fantana, Champ Kind and the irrepressible Brick Tamland, "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues" promises more musical enchantments.
Speaking to The Playlist, director/producer/writer Adam McKay said he's already worked up some ear candy treats for the sequel due out next year.
"There will be some music in 'Anchorman 2' though for sure, we have some songs already written," he said. "We were going to do 'Anchorman 2' as a Broadway musical first, for like six months and then go shoot the movie. That was our initial idea." The Will Ferrell/Steve Carell-headlined movie, which has had a difficult path to the big screen, will most definitely have "whole sequences" devoted to musical numbers, though McKay did not reveal which songs might make the cut.
"The music sequences we have done -- we did 'Afternoon Delight' [in 'Anchorman'], Adam Scott and his family singing 'Sweet Child O' Mine' [in 'Step Brothers'], we did a whole song for 'Talladega Nights' that got cut out, a big, big musical number -- we always do it live on the set," McKay explained. "And my thing is, if the actors get freaked out, don't sweat it, we can always re-record it later. And every time we've done it, we end up using the live track from the recording. We'll probably do it the same way in this." This time, though, he might make the actors sweat it out thanks to a "little more movement," which he feared might test the actors' stamina.
McKay said he's working over the top-secret script along with star and producing partner Ferrell. While he wouldn't give any details on what adventures await San Diego's crack news team, he did give a peek at the challenges they might face in a digital world.
"Even thought it's going to be a big silly movie, it's all about the rise of the new media and 24 hour news cycle, and there's a lot of interesting points to make about that while being silly," McKay said. "I mean what is this 24 hours news, and this wall of white noise information, has it really been good for our country? The great thing when you find a point of view like that is that it doesn't have to be preachy or didactic, it's also funny. It's just funny that Americans have to contend with 2000 channels, and 60 different specific news sources, and the confusion that it creates, and the junk that we get to see is hilarious. That's what we're always kinda looking for, what's the point of view that's got life to it and plays."
Back in June, star Carell told MTV News that he was hoping the Channel 4 news crew didn't change a note in the sequel. "I hope he doesn't evolve at all," Carell said of his lamp-loving character Tamland. "I haven't seen the script, so I'm not sure, but I hope he doesn't evolve ' I hope he doesn't have any more presence in the movie than he did already."
"Anchorman 2" will start shooting in March and no release date has been announced yet.
