While we’ve made all kinds of films over the years, we’ve somehow never done the Best Comedies Of The Century So Far list. If we did, surely Adam McKay’s 2008 films “Step Brothers” would be extremely high on the list. The director says he’s asked about a sequel for the film “constantly,” but the gang of McKay, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly seems torn. They’ve talked up ideas over the years, including the idea of Brennan (Ferrell) and Dale (Reilly) as big Trump supporters, then Will Ferrell, ruled out a sequel entirely and then Reilly told us recently, well, never say never.
On this week’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, McKay, promoting his divisive drama “Vice” starring Christian Bale as former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, lent a little fuel to the fire, seemingly weighing the pros and cons of the sequel and also seemingly taking cues from “Anchorman 2,” which made more money than its predecessor, but was coolly received by critics, and audiences.
At first, McKay seems to rule out the idea, catches himself a little and then gives some ideas of what a sequel could be.
“I think what we really learned is that so much of comedy is surprise, the newness of it; where the heck did these characters come from,” he explained.
“So, after realizing that I still love [‘Anchorman 2,’], but no. Well, I shouldn’t say no, we’re not going to do ‘Step Brothers 2,’ because if there is a great idea or there is the right moment, we would and maybe it’s Dale and Brennan figuring out how to separate Co2 as an inert gas from the atmosphere and save mankind from global warming, maybe. Maybe that’s it,” he laughed.
McKay reminds that there were plans to release a Dale and Brennan rap album. The director says they had five songs written and were ready to go, but then, “we all just saw a bird in the distance and got distracted… Ferrell and I still kick [the idea of a sequel] around, but it could be tied to global warming, maybe? Although that feels sweaty. That’s a terrible idea”
The conversation went on and touched upon how “Anchorman” has existed in many forms outside movies, which spurned on his imagination. “I love the idea of idea that you can do sequels to these things by doing podcasts, comic books, animated [things]—that actually might be the cooler way to do it and maybe that’s the way ‘Step Brothers 2’ come back. Maybe ‘Step Brothers 2,’ is a written fictional podcast that’s six episodes [and brings all the lead characters back.”
Speaking of the whole environmental angle, word is McKay’s been kicking around the idea of doing an environmental/global warming movie next—doing what “The Big Short,” and “Vice” did for the housing financial collapse and Cheney/politics.
Global warming is a running theme throughout the entire conversation. McKay says he’d love to make a basketball movie (he’s a big fan), but how irresponsible it may feel to his kids in twenty years, if he did a sports comedy while society was in the middle of an environmental collapse. So keep an eye on that one, it sounds like an idea that’s definitely brewing for the director.
Lastly, he talks “The Last Patriots,” a border wall comedy he’s been concocting with Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly again. “We’re kicking [the idea] around still. It’s called ‘The Last Patriots,’” he revealed. “It’s Ferrell and John C. Reilly go down to the border to build the wall on their own cause it’s not happening. So that’s another.”
There’s also “Bad Blood,” a script being developed for Jennifer Lawrence that McKay will direct, and don’t worry, the director says that’s still in the works too. Plenty of little nuggets in this one so give it a listen. “Vice” lands in theaters Christmas Day with previews hitting the night before on the 24th. Take a listen below.