Earth to Judd Apatow: Anchorman 2 is a Fantastic Idea

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on March 21, 2008

Filed Under: Anchorman , Rick Baker , Ron Burgundy , Steve Carell , Will Ferrell, Opinions

Consider this an open letter to Judd Apatow — since he has stopped returning my calls, this is the best I can do to get in touch with him these days. I will try and keep this short and sweet, as I know that Judd is a very busy man: we need more of Papa Burgundy. There, I said it.

Apatow recently made comments about a potential sequel to Anchorman, which come in the heels of Will Ferrell dropping the notion a few weeks back. With two major players admitting that they are interested, I’d say we’ve got a full blown sequel conspiracy on our hands. And for fans, this isn’t anything like illegal wire taps or voter fraud — this is the kind of conspiracy to which we are more than hip.

When asked about the possibility of a sequel, Apatow told MTV that he and his constituents think it could be fun: “We all think it would be fun to see him up on his feet again doing what only he can do. That would be awesome – but it could only happen in 30 years.”

Wait… 30 years? Wrong answer.

Apatow’s reasoning behind this is that it would be more fun to see Ron Burgundy as an old man, well into his 70’s, still working as an anchorman. And while I agree that nothing would be more fun than seeing Ron passing from his formidable years into his senile years, I don’t know if I can wait until I am in my formidable years to see such a film. I don’t see anything wrong with Apatow bringing Rick Baker in to make Will Ferrell look like Ted Kopel — that is even more fun.

As well, setting the film 30 years later leaves all kinds of avenues open for explaining why key characters may not return — as it would be uncertain whether the likes of Steve Carell would be coming back for part two. Should Carell not come back, Brick could easily be killed off in the early goings, assassinated as he campaigns for some high office. Brian Fantana could have met his unfortunate end in the jungle somewhere, attacked by a panther in heat. As for Champ Kind, well, his gambling problem may have finally caught up to him — leaving him with no choice but to sell his body for money. Unfortunately for Champ, he picked the off-duty cop trolling around the back-alleys of San Diego and landed himself in prison.

Alas, I have gone off on a tangent. Let’s try and reel this back in. The point is that with an Anchorman sequel, Apatow and crew have all kinds of options. And no matter which options they go with, there is no doubt in my mind that fans would be satisfied. Then again, that’s just my opinion.

Sound Off: Do you think that Apatow and Ferrell should band together once again to bring “classy” back to our movie screens?