In the early 2000s, Jack Black was having a moment. Richard Linklater’s School of Rock made him an unlikely leading man, with the film grossing $131 million worldwide. He was in high demand and bankable, so the time was right to finally produce his passion project – a film showcase for his cult two-person band, Tenacious D. The film, Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny would be a big flop, only grossing $13 million worldwide. Still, in the years that followed, the film would become a kind of secret success, doing well on DVD and becoming a cult hit.
Indeed, all involved had good intentions going into this. Black was a massive star and cut his salary from a whopping $12 million to $1 million to get it made, and he would split the fee with his bandmate Kyle Gass. The movie would feature a who’s who of rock star cameos, including Meat Loaf, Ronnie James Dio and Dave Grohl (as Satan). Black and Gass’s movie star friends would also contribute, with cameos from John C. Reilly, Tim Robbins, Ben Stiller, Jason Segel, Amy Poehler, Amy Adams and many more.
Despite the movie’s failure, the band would continue to be successful in the years to come, with high attendance on the movie’s spin-off tour. The duo often made light of the film’s failure in the years to come. Indeed, neither of their careers have suffered, with Black immediately bouncing back thanks to Kung Fu Panda, while Gass became a popular TV guest star on shows including Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the recent Hacks and many more. In this episode of WTF Happened to this Movie, dig into the origins and ultimate fate of Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny, and examine whether the film deserves its cult status. This episode is written by Brad Hamerly, edited by Cesar Gabriel and narrated by Mathew Plale.
Let us know in the comments if you’re a Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny fan!
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