‘Spinal Tap’ Sequel to Shoot Next Year

Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer will all return for the latest comedy follow-up.

(L to R) Rob Reiner and Christopher Guest in 'This Is Spinal Tap.' Photo: Embassy Pictures.

Preview:

Director Rob Reiner says he’s preparing to shoot the ‘Spinal Tap’ sequel in February.
Stars Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer will all reprise their roles.
Reiner is likening the tone to Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Last Waltz’ documentary.

‘Spinal Tap’ fans, prepare to set your excitement dial to 11. Why so? After years of teasing and talking about it, the team behind the legendary mockumentary are officially getting the band back together on big screens for a sequel.

At least, that’s what director Rob Reiner –– who also appeared in the original as faux documentarian Martin “Marty” Di Bergi –– is saying, when asked for an update on the sequel.

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What was the story of ‘This is Spinal Tap’?

(L to R) Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, and Michael McKean in 'This Is Spinal Tap.' Photo: Embassy Pictures.

To give its full title, ‘This is Spinal Tap’ was a mock doc following the titular heavy metal band around as they tour their new album. The madness that ensues includes them being second billing to a puppet show, a Stonehenge prop designed to entirely wrong specifications and much talk of the fates to befall various former drummers.

The film stars Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer as the main members of the band, David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls, and while there was an outline for each scene and certain points that had to be hit, a lot of the movie was improvised by the cast.

Released in 1984, it makes regular appearances on or atop Best Comedy lists and was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry and deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the Library of Congress.

Since the original film, there has been a DVD sequel, ‘The Return of Spinal Tap’, and an album, ‘Spinal Tap: Back from the Dead’ arrived in 2009.

The band has also toured a few times, but this marks the full reunion of Reiner with his stars.

What is Rob Reiner saying about the new sequel?

(L to R) Rob Reiner and Christopher Guest in 'This Is Spinal Tap.' Photo: Embassy Pictures.

Talking to comedian Richard Herring on his ‘RHLSTP with Richard Herring’ podcast, Reiner talked about the planned schedule for the new movie:

“We’re making a sequel. We’re going to start shooting in the end of February and everybody is back.”

Reiner hinted that the plan for the film is to mimic the style of Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Last Waltz,’ the legendary concert film that documented the farewell tour of the Canadian American rock group The Band.

And from the sound of it, it’ll be a farewell to the Tap. At least, for now. Here’s what Reiner said:

“You don’t want to overstay your welcome. This is like stand-up — you leave them wanting. You go off on a big laugh and go out. The worst thing you could do is just load it up with, even if they’re funny things, they may be tangents and things that take away from the drive of the film.”

In the same interview, Reiner revealed that the likes of music icons Paul McCartney and Elton John would make an appearance in the new movie, representing just two people in the industry who are big fans of the original.

When will the next ‘Spinal Tap’ be in theaters?

While the movie had been scheduled for March 19, 2024, the actors’ strike put an end to that. As it stands, the film does not have a release date set.