The 2008 comedy hit STEP BROTHERS stands as one of the more beloved collaborations between Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. Fans have been sacrificing oxen, goats and other assorted creature in hopes the duo would make a sequel to the quotable comedy classic, and though they’ve toyed with the idea for years, you could say they’ve officially grown out of the idea.
While speaking with Rolling Stone Ferrell put the idea to a poorly-made bunk bed, saying the fact the first doesn’t have a sequel kind of makes it special, and that it’s probably better to keep to that way:
"You have to resist the temptation. It's just tough because the things everyone wants you to do sequels of are special because there's not a sequel of it. I guess we'll see, but as of now there are no plans. We just don't want to be doing sequels of everything."
It’s been nine years (!) since the movie came out to mixed reviews from critics, but became an instant classic with audiences, who continue to quote it constantly to this day (eat it, Shakespeare). That’s the same amount of time that went between ANCHORMAN (2004) and ANCHORMAN 2 (2013), but the less-than-stellar response to the sequel may have played a small role in moving away from STEP BROTHERS 2:
"I think we personally feel great about what we did with Anchorman 2. And I think there are actually some people who like it more than the original. But then you always get that little bit of people saying, “Awww, why'd they have to do that?”
However, director Adam McKay is slightly more optimistic, having said there was once an idea for the sequel that involved Ferrell and John C. Reilly having children. We'd been hearing other things about development on a sequel for years, and even though at one point there was a script, now McKay can’t see a sequel happening for another 10 years:
I said 'no' at one point. And then I realized it was foolish of me to say that, because the older they [the characters] get, the funnier the joke may get. I definitely would not say no to that now. For a second I did, just 'cause comedy sequels are like the hardest thing to do 'cause half the joke's out of the bag already.
Ferrell then went on to ponder if that makes the characters seem more “pathetic,” but then saying it could maybe be funnier, concluding how in the end a sequel just never happened, despite plans. That all being said, McKay said the dynamic duo aren’t done making movies yet:
We just wrote a script together that I think is as funny as anything we've ever written, so I don't know if we are dying to do another Step Brothers. But like I said, I never would say never. I just never know what's going on in eight, nine years, so it could happen.
I'm one of the folks who actually enjoyed ANCHORMAN 2 quite a bit. Though its reach often exceeded its grasp, the cast was on top of their games and everyone was having a fun time. As a result I had a fun time, and always feel like having birthday cake after I watch it. As for a STEP BROTHERS 2 I'll always wonder what a complete idea would look like, but I think the original is, in Ferrell's words, just too special. It's a quote-a-minute, immature piece of gold that never stops trying to make you laugh. We have it, it still works and that's enough. Now grab some fancy sauce, and watch some boats 'n hoes.
Catch John C. Reilly in the upcoming KONG: SKULL ISLAND on March 10.