Rob Reiner is one of the most beloved and influential American filmmakers and actors, but for those of us in the heavy music community, he never got it better than with his very first directing feature, This is Spinal Tap. The mockumentary following the exploits of a loud and proud English metal band grasping to maintain their relevance continues to be a favorite for many, with plenty of fans still quoting the film and singing its praises to this day.
Nearly twenty years after being released in the 80s, the film was was deemed “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant” by the Library of Congress, and was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry. An incredible honor for an unapologetically silly movie, but an obvious testament to just how brilliant it really is.
Yet another twenty years later and This is Spinal Tap has made its way back into the headlines yet again. For fans, this is the announcement they've truly been waiting for. Reiner is officially onboard to create a sequel to his landmark mockumentary and naturally, will also reprise his role as documentarian Marty Bi Bergi. David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer), and Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) will all be returning for the sequel as well.
Reiner has this to say about the upcoming film: "The plan is to do a sequel that comes out on the 40th anniversary of the original film and I can tell you hardly a day goes by without someone saying, why don’t you do another one? For so many years, we said, ‘nah.’ It wasn’t until we came up with the right idea how to do this. You don’t want to just do it, to do it. You want to honor the first one and push it a little further with the story.”
'Spinal Tap II' will be coming to theaters March 19th 2024.
