‘This Is Spinal Tap 2’ Starts Filming With Paul McCartney and Elton John 40 Years After the Original
Production on the sequel to Rob Reiner’s 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap has officially begun with Elton John, Paul McCartney and more celebs set to appear.
Cowritten and directed by Reiner, This Is Spinal Tap stars Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer as the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap. A satire of the rock bands and the rock documentaries about them, This Is Spinal Tap is now considered a cult classic.
The long-awaited follow-up, This Is Spinal Tap II, recently began filming in New Orleans, Variety reported on Monday, March 11, almost exactly 40 years after the first film was released on March 2, 1984.
At the time, Spinal Tap marked Reiner’s directorial debut. Now, he will return to helm the sequel along with Guest, McKean and Shearer, who will reprise their respective roles from the original: guitarist Nigel Tufnel, frontman David St. Hubbins and bassist Derek Smalls. Reiner, for his part, will reprise his role as the documentarian Martin “Marty” DiBergi.
“I recently spoke to Marty DiBergi who said that he was more than happy to take a sabbatical from his position as a visiting Professor’s Assistant at the Ed Wood School of Cinematic Arts to once again document Spinal Tap to ensure their place in the pantheon of Rock and Roll,” Reiner said in a statement.
Cameos from Questlove and Trisha Yearwood have been confirmed for the sequel, along with rock 'n roll legends John and McCartney and country icon Garth Brooks. Reiner confirmed the cameos from John, McCartney and Brooks on the “RHLSTP with Richard Herring” podcast in November 2023.
"We're making a sequel," Reiner said at the time. "We're gonna start shooting at the end of February. And everybody's back. And Paul McCartney is joining us, and Elton John, and a few other surprises. Garth Brooks."
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This Is Spinal Tap II — which, like the original, was cowritten by Guest, McKean, Reiner and Shearer — will follow England’s loudest band as they reunite after 15 years apart for one last concert.
"When it was announced that Spinal Tap would reunite for one final concert, Marty DiBergi saw this as a chance to make things right with the band who viewed This Is Spinal Tap as a hatchet job," Reiner said in a May 2022 statement via Entertainment Weekly when the sequel was first announced.
This Is Spinal Tap II was originally slated for a March 19, 2024 premiere to coincide with the film’s original release date. However, production was delayed due to the dual SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America (WGA) strikes in 2023. A new release date for Spinal Tap II has not yet been confirmed.
