It’s called “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” and it’s a sequel to the 1984 music mockumentary. It’s been announced that Bleecker Street has acquired the rights to Rob Reiner’s film and set up a September 12 theatrical release date.
A teaser has also been released. It sees the band’s signature amplifier getting turned “up to eleven” — a reference to the first film, in which Spinal Tap lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) talks about how the volume on his amp goes up to 11 instead of the standard 10.
Tackling a clumsy musical group, known as "one of England's loudest bands," 1984’s “This is Spinal Tap” immortalized the mockumentary genre. It’s a classic, packed with memorable quotes and one of the most gut-bustingly hilarious comedies of the last 40 years.
In the sequel, the fictional heavy metal group reunites after a two-decade separation for one final concert. Reiner returns as documentary filmmaker Marty DiBergi, the documentarian who follows them on tour.
Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer all return as the fictional metal band. The film will also have cameos from Elton John, Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.
People tend to forget how Reiner was on one hell of a hot streak in the ‘80s and ‘90s. He had an 8-year run of classics: "This is Spinal Tap," "Stand By Me," "The Princess Bride," "When Harry Met Sally," "Misery" and "A Few Good Men."
However, Reiner's output these last 25 years has been terrible. Unadorned mediocrity. What else would you call "LBJ," "The Bucket List," "Flipped," "The Story of Us," “Alex and Emma,” “Rumor Has It,” “And So It Goes,” “Being Charlie,” “Ghost of Mississippi,” “Shock and Awe,” “The Magic of Belle Isle.”?
It’ll be interesting to see how the ‘Spinal Tap’ sequel turns out. The whole is gang is back for this one. Given the early September date, I wouldn’t be surprised if it world premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival.