The long-awaited and much-anticipated sequel to Rob Reiner's classic 1984 'rockumentary' This Is Spinal Tap is set to open in US cinemas on September 12.
The date was revealed as the first short teaser for Spinal Tap II: The End Continues is released, confidently suggesting that director Marty DiBergi's (Reiner) new film about the legendary English hard rock band will go up to 11.
According to an interview Reiner gave to Empire magazine last year, the sequel comes together after DiBergi - who's been teaching at the Ed Wood School of Cinematic Arts - discovers that Spinal Tap's core members David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) are putting the band back together to play a gig, and gets back in contact to ask if he can document it. Reiner also revealed what the three band members have been doing since the group fell apart.
"Nigel has been running a cheese and guitar shop in Berwick-upon-Tweed," he said. "He’s also been performing with a local folk band in the village that play penny whistle and mandolin, and he plays electric guitar with them. We show a little clip of that.
"David St Hubbins has been living in Morro Bay in California, and he’s been writing music for podcasts, particularly this one true-crime podcast called The Trouble With Murder. He also writes the music that you hear when you’re on hold on the phone.
"And then we have Derek. Derek is living in London and is now the curator of the New Museum of Glue. He’s curated glue from every country in the world, the whole history of glue, and he shows me around. He’s also been performing with a philharmonic orchestra, and he’s written this kind of symphony about the fact that the devil wears a bad hair piece. It’s called Hell Toupée."
Spinal Tap II will reunite McKean, Guest) and Shearer for the first time since the trio performed an acoustic set at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival.
Elton John, Paul McCartney, Lars Ulrich and Chad Smith are among the bonafide rock stars making cameo appearances in the film. And both Elton John and Paul McCartney contribute songs to the soundtrack, which also features a host of new original material by Spinal Tap, including a Derek Smalls meditation upon death titled Rockin’ In The Urn.
A UK release date for the film is yet to be announced.
