Back in 2010, when "Anchorman 2" was stuck in a glass case of emotion thanks to some unpleasant number-crunching by Paramount, director Adam McKay told C.H.U.D. that the original plan was to write the sequel as a musical and stage a four-month Broadway run before filming. As it turns out, some vestige of that lost project might still remain in the evolving film script for "Anchorman 2."
Speaking with The Playlist, McKay revealed that "Anchorman 2" will include "[w]hole song sequences, absolutely." According to McKay, the singing will be performed right on the set, in a fashion similar to what Tom Hooper did with his cast for "Les Miserables."
"We always do it live on the set," McKay said, referring to famed musical moments in "Anchorman" ("Afternoon Delight") and "Step Brothers" ("Sweet Child O' Mine"). "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."
McKay said the only issue facing "Anchorman 2" is that the music number also includes a lot of dancing, which may make the cast "winded."
"Anchorman 2" isn't filming until early next year. In an interview with Empire Magazine, McKay revealed that the film would focus on the dawn of the "24-hour news cycle" in the late '70s. The film will also comment on increased diversity in the broadcast news field.
"Any time you're talking about diversity and the Action News team, that's always fun to deal with," he joked.
Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and David Koechner are all set to return for "Anchorman 2." For more on the casting and what fans can expect from the plot, head over to The Playlist.
[via Indiewire/The Playlist]
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