Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, and Michael McKean in the original 1984 ‘This Is Spinal Tap.’
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The long-awaited This Is Spinal Tap sequel is set to hit theaters this fall, and the metal greats are returning with a new set of amps that — believe it or not — go past 11.
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues will be released on Sept. 12, with Rob Reiner’s new film securing distribution from Bleecker Street. The announcement today is accompanied by a short teaser, which doesn’t show much, except a hand — likely that of guitarist Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest) — plugging into an amp and adjusting the levels.
As expected, the bass, middle, and treble all go to 11, but the master volume has a new special feature — an infinity sign. The clip ends with an explosion and a bit of the Spinal Tap classic “Stonehenge.”
Production on Spinal Tap II officially began last spring. Reiner is returning as both director and in-film documentarian Marty DiBergi, while Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer are all reprising their roles as Nigel, David St. Hubbins, and Derek Smalls, respectively.
The film is expected to follow Spinal Tap as they reunite after a 15-year hiatus for one final concert, with DiBergi in tow to document the experience. Speaking with Variety about the film in 2022, Reiner revealed that most of it would be improvised, though there would be a firm structure in place, modeled in part on Martin Scorsese’s classic documentary about the Band’s final concert, The Last Waltz.
“The idea is that the band hasn’t seen each other for 10 or 15 years, and they come back for one more tour and one thing leads to another,” Reiner explained at the time. “Once we get started, we’ll figure things out. We only had the barebones of an idea on the first movie.”
The cameo list for the film is expected to be large, and several musicians have already been confirmed, including Elton John, Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, and Trisha Yearwood. There are even a few big name drummers set to take the stage — and hopefully skirt the infamous Spinal Tap drummer curse — including Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith and Metallica’s Lars Ulrich.
From Rolling Stone US.
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