Comedy fans have been wetting their pants lately whenever Will Ferrell and company openly discussed a followup to “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.” As of last week, “Anchorman 2” talk was heating up, with tentative plans to shoot early next year. The loaded cast, all of whom have gone on to fairly bigger things, agreed to take paycuts for the sake of the production. But when it came time for a gut check, Paramount said no, according to director Adam McKay’s Twitter.
Regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of “Anchorman” (we haven’t been this bummed since the man punted Baxter, to be honest), this decision doesn’t make much sense. The first film wasn’t very expensive, pulling in $85 million. While we aren’t able to crunch the numbers, domestically, Will Ferrell movies are safe investments and popular DVD releases. Overseas, however, he’s box office poison with “Bewitched” being his most successful earner*. While McKay should be able to write a blank check after his last two Ferrell collaborations grossed over $100 million, it’s possible the studio was looking at “Land of the Lost,” which still haunts Ferrell’s resume despite not being indicative of his drawing power. The prospect of possibly shooting overseas, as Ferrell, McKay and company have suggested in the past, was somehow not enough to convince Paramount to pull the trigger on the most anticipated comedy sequel without the words “Ghost” or “Busters” in the title.
Isn’t there something backwards about this whole thing? Isn’t Paramount supposed to be begging and groveling at Will Ferrell’s feet for a sequel to one of his most beloved films? Shouldn’t Ferrell refuse until a string of flops, after which he’ll dip his pen in desperation to sign a bloated, too-generous contract? Paramount might simply have too many franchises on their hands, with easier sure bets like “The Avengers” (where they share profit with Marvel) and “Mission: Impossible IV” (where Tom Cruise takes something like 20% off the gross). C’mon, Paramount, if there are any business endeavors that are probably slam dunks, it’s Sex Panther (60% of the time it works every time, you know) and Adam McKay/Will Ferrell movies.
*Steve Carrell is actually a much bigger name at the worldwide box office. Could they not market it as his film overseas? Does anyone know if Paul Rudd is big in Japan?’Anchorman 2′ Cancelled! WE’RE IN A GLASS CASE OF EMOTION