‘This is Spinal Tap’ Sequel Officially Happening With Original Stars Returning

This is Spinal Tap is one of the greatest rock comedies of all time, and now the iconic movie is officially getting a sequel. According to Variety, a follow-up to the 1984 mockumentary is in the works, with original stars Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer all coming back. Additionally, director Rob Reiner — who helmed the original film — is also set to return.

Variety reports that the film is gaming for a March 19, 2024 release date, which will connect it to the 40th anniversary of This is Spinal Tap. The outlet adds that the sequel will be filmed in the style of Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz, a legendary concert documentary that followed classic rock group The Band on their farewell tour. Additionally, Spinal Tap 2 will also feature real-life musicians, though it is not known exactly who or to what extent.

‘This Is Spinal Tap’ Sequel in the Works With Rob Reiner, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer https://t.co/0CjfUOjLlK

— Variety (@Variety) May 12, 2022

Back in 2019, the men behind Spinal Tap reunited for the film’s 35th anniversary, and they spoke with Billboard about the band, the movie, and all that came with it. Speaking about how the rock world reacted kindly to the spoof, Shearer recalled, “We were doing the last of the rock charity album things of the ’80s which was the single by Hear ‘N Aid. Michael and I were at the session and Rob Halford of Judas Priest comes up to us and says, ‘Such a great movie. Just the other day we were in San Diego, and I couldn’t find my way to the f—ing stage.’”

As for the “mock” label, Guest explained that while they were doing something fun and silly, the project was still very much real. “I was actually saying to someone the other day that it’s weird that Spinal Tap, the three of us, wrote the music – Rob helped write some lyrics – but we wrote the music for Spinal Tap, A Mighty Wind and Waiting For Guffman. The three of us wrote those songs, and it has continued as a thing to find a different kind of music that we could all have fun doing.”

Finally, sharing the “best compliment” he ever got about the film, Reiner shared, “To me, the best compliment was when we first screened it in Dallas, and people would come up and say, ‘Why would you make a movie about a band that nobody’s ever heard of and one that’s so bad?’ I thought that was the greatest compliment I could have gotten.” Guest added, “I think in Dallas there was a test screening. We were getting popcorn and two girls came out and they said, ‘These guys are so stupid.’ And we just looked at each other.”