The release of “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” is just over a month away, and by now, fans of the first movie know that it was a long and winding road for the sequel to even enter production. We all know the first “Anchorman” wasn’t exactly a runaway hit when it was first released in the summer of 2004, but it still made a healthy profit. Even after the movie encountered great success in DVD sales, as well as the McKay/Ferrell duo’s subsequent films each crossing the $100 million mark in the box office, there was still some considerable push-back from Paramount Pictures when it came to a possible “Anchorman” sequel. As co-writer/director Adam McKay puts it, the primary issue for this was the film’s proposed budget.
“I told them the budget is $80 million,” McKay said to the LA Times. Paramount, not exactly thrilled with this budget proposal, countered back with a considerably lower budget of $35 million. “We’re like, ‘You’re crazy,’” says McKay, “The first movie did great on cable and DVD, and that’s where it really took off — much like ‘Austin Powers.’ That’s where we stalled. Basically, it was over.”
That was back in 2009. Now, thanks to the film’s stars taking pay cuts and a gap in Paramount’s release schedule, “Anchorman 2” is here to stay … with a $50 million budget. We’ll get to revisit our old friends Ron Burgundy, Brick Tamland, Brian Fantana, and Champ Kind (whammy!) when the sequel comes out December 20th. Below, you can check out a couple of larger-than-life character posters via IMPA.
