‘This is Spinal Tap’ sequel begins shooting 40 years after original, secures list of celeb appearances
Jordan Hoffman
It’s time to crank the amps up to 11. Or, is it 12?
“This is Spın̈al Tap” (with a dotless i and umlauts on the n), Rob Reiner’s legendary spoof film starring Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and a slew of guests like Paul Shaffer (“kick my ass!”), Fran Drescher (“you know, you know!”), Bruno Kirby (“if Frank Sinatra says it’s okay!”), and Billy Crystal (“mime is money!”) was way ahead of its time as both a mockumentary and in satirizing the rock lifestyle. The film is beloved by fans, and especially musicians, and it certainly seems like there’s been a sequel already. The gang has reunited for television specials, album releases (“Break Like the Wind”), made an appearance on “The Simpsons,” and, of course, the three actors have done several similar improv-style satires, including “A Mighty Wind,” which skewers folk musicians. But there actually hasn’t been a sequel to the classic comedy—until now.
“This is Sequel Tap,” which began shooting this week according to Variety, has all the originals back in place. Reiner will direct and appear as documentarian Marty DiBergi (“let’s boogie!”), McKean as lead singer David St. Hubbins, Guest as guitarist Nigel Tufnel, and Shearer as bassist and “Jazz Odyssey” composer Derek Smalls. Whether their late 70s/early 80s hard rock sound has been updated for the 2020s remains to be seen. All we know is that if you stop and listen to “Stonehenge” and several of Tap’s other hits, you have to admit that they are actually really good.
The original film was only a minor success upon its initial release (a $4.7 million box office return on a $2 million budget), but it benefited tremendously from the dawn of VHS and early cable television. Subsequent home video releases, like a Criterion Collection laserdisc and then DVD, featured must-have bonus features plus what was probably the first commentary track done “in character.” What I’m saying is, if you were a fan of this movie, you probably spent on it multiple times over the years.
Variety also notes that several music heroes will make appearances in the film, including Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, and Oscar-winning documentarian Questlove have already been confirmed.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to watch clips of “This is Spın̈al Tap” on YouTube for the next hour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dytxv6XPa3E
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