It’s been 40 years since Spinal Tap rocked the music world, and now that the famed mockumentary is getting its overdue sequel, we are ready to give ‘em some money. And based on the fact that the original members (OK, maybe not the drummer…) are all back with Rob Reiner at the helm, our anticipation level is up to 11.
Speaking with Empire about the forthcoming This Is Spinal Tap sequel, titled Spinal Tap II, Rob Reiner said that every piece came together with ease once things got moving. “The fun thing about it is we’ve known each other for so many years, and you just fall right back into it. You know, the whole film is improvised. The dialogue is all improvised. And what Chris Guest calls “schnadling” — we schnadle with each other, you know? It’s just fun. Putting together this movie is like putting together a puzzle with no picture on the box. We’ve got the contours of it, because we have a ten-page outline. But we’ll have a scene that lasts 15 or 20 minutes, that winds up being a minute in the movie. You find the best bits of everything, and you cut them together.” That right there is a perfect continuation of the original, as The Criterion Collection’s now out of print DVD had over one hour of unused footage, although this is nothing compared to the 4-hour workprint that made its way online a few years ago.
While no release date has been given for the This Is Spinal Tap sequel, it’s currently being planned for a 2025 release, just missing the 40th anniversary of the original’s release…which does sound like a very Spinal Tap thing to happen. Reiner also noted that there will be several new songs in Spinal Tap II which will give us another soundtrack. There, too, will be major cameos from the likes of Paul McCartney and Elton John, to name just a couple.
Outside of the upcoming sequel, Spinal Tap – that is, Michael McKean (David St. Hubbins), Harry Shearer (Derek Smalls) and Christopher Guest (Nigel Tuflin) – have reunited on multiple occasions, refusing to die, whether by irrelevance or a bizarre gardening accident.
Are you looking forward to the This Is Spinal Tap sequel? What is your favorite scene from the first one?
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