''Spinal Tap 2'': Get ready for the new sequel and learn how Norman Lear saved the original!

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues to release in theaters September 12, 2025

The Everett Collection

Sequels are a tough gambit. For every The Godfather Part II, there are dozens of sequels as abysmal as Staying Alive, the Saturday Night Fever follow-up. 

Fans of rock 'n' roll mockumentaries can rest assured that Spinal Tap II: The End Continues will be seemingly Travolta-free. Even more exciting is that the movie will feature cameos from music superstars like Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Trisha Yearwood. 

Rob Reiner will once again be at the helm, as he was with the 1984 original. Most of the key players will return as well, with Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, and Christopher Guest reprising their roles from This is Spinal Tap. The main difference between the sequel and its prelude will, of course, be the forty years that passed between the two.

Watch All in the Family on MeTV!

Two full hours!

Sundays at 8 PM

*available in most MeTV markets

To best explain what will make the sequel great, it's important to understand what made the first movie so special to begin with.

Director Rob Reiner presented a four-page outline to film executives. The movie (both in that pre-production stage and also as it was made) didn't have a script. The action and dialogue were to be completely improvised. The cast and creators had a few jokes planned, but even they were filmed off-the-cuff, giving the project a realistic, documentary-like feel.

However, the whole endeavor nearly failed to launch, as nobody in Hollywood thought it could succeed. It was saved by Reiner's old boss from All in the Family, Norman Lear, who decided to back the project, providing the crew with a budget of $2 million.

“Norman was the first guy to recognize that I had a sense of humor, and he’s been my champion for a long time,” Reiner told Today in 2023.

“[He] got me started in my directing career. I’ve said many times he’s like a second father to me. I’ve been very lucky to have him as a role model, along with my own father.”

Lear, along with Reiner's father Carl, played an influential role in what would become a legendary career, both in comedy and in directing.

“What I got from them was just being around them and seeing how they conducted their lives. That’s the best advice I got. I saw how my dad conducted his career, how he treated other people. I saw how Norman used what he had and his strength that he had of his convictions, to stick to his guns and not back down from what he believed. Those are the pieces of advice that I got from both of them.”

So, what can fans expect from the new Spinal Tap? Most importantly, they can know that the movie was made for the right reasons.

“For years, everybody kept saying, ‘You should do a Spinal Tap 2. You should do another one.’ And none of us ever wanted to do it because it’s not like you just do something. We have to have an idea of something that would make you want to do it,” said Reiner.

“And we did come up with an idea that we liked. And everything spoke from the idea. It’s not like, ‘Ooh, let’s do a Spinal Tap 2."

While any sequel can be tricky, this one is particularly fraught, at least for the filmmakers involved. The original was a landmark and sparked an entire genre of mockumentary imitators. Reiner knows he has to be very careful with his approach.

“We were very nervous about doing a second one because it (has) become a classic, a cult classic, and it’s in the National Film Registry, which is a big honor,” he says.

“And so sometimes you say, ‘I don’t want to touch that.’ But I think we have a way of doing it that will be different and hopefully, people will enjoy it.”

Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
Close

16 Comments

coffinman 10 days ago
Rob Reiner....hard pass.
Tangento coffinman 5 days ago
How about a "why"? I'm very interested.
wolfman69 10 days ago
This Is Spinal Tap is one of my all time favorite movies. While I am cautiously optimistic about the sequel, I can't help feeling this will be a disappointment. Maybe should have left this one alone....
cperrynaples 11 days ago
Technically, this film would be Spinal Tap 3 because there was a TV movie sequel! They also did a concert tour in the early '90's and even appeared on The Simpsons!
I forgot about that.
But I do remember Martin Short saying (from MY memory): "Whether it's Shakespeare in The Park or a project with Ron Liebman, I always turn to Tap for inspiration."
Now...keep comedy alive!
I think he said that as Jiminy Glick! Classic character!
Bapa1 11 days ago
The original was hilarious, hopefully this one will be too.
AgingDisgracefully 11 days ago
Best part is the whole band is reuniting.
I also hope to see Artie Fufkin cheerleading in the mystical manner that is only his.
Brad 11 days ago
As a musician, and as somebody who has "hung around" actual rock performers as a professional roadie, I absolutely loved the original Spinal Tap movie! It was quite accurate, as far as some of the things that can happen to a band. I'm just wondering if perhaps they waited a bit too long to make a sequel using the original cast. Some of those guys are in their 70's now, and it's gonna be tough for them to pull it off. The story line will likely be a "reunion tour" featuring the original cast members, but will they be dealing with "old people" stuff like arthritis, sleeplessness and ill-fitting dentures? Mildly humorous, but seldom anything that brings actual laughter. But sure, I'll go see it, simply because I'm both curious and hopeful that this movie will live up to the original's greatness.
Scott76112 12 days ago
As much as I loved the original, the sequel is probably more "Speed 2" than "The Empire Strikes Back".
We shall see.
ElizabethBoop 12 days ago
Sadly, Bruno Kirby will not be around to drive the limo for them this time.
NO ONE drove and lost like Bruno.
Yeah, I believe he said he once drove for Sinatra and didn't like Spinal Tap!
BenSobeleone 12 days ago
The volume goes to 11. So, it's one louder.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?