After the 1970s brought prosperity to the Channel 4 news team, the group disbands and hits rock bottom until a 24-hour news channel is being put together and the group is recruited to join the channel. In an April 2012 interview, director Adam McKay said the script was a work in progress. He stated that the story might include a custody battle and bowling.
In a May 2012 interview, he was quoted as saying that nothing was set. The story is moved from San Diego to New York, at the onset of the cable news era in the 1980s. Kristen Wiig plays Brick’s love interest. At a cancer survivor fundraiser in San Diego in September 2013, Ferrell showed a clip of the film portraying a scene involving Champ Kind’s fried “chicken” restaurant.
About the Story (2013)
Several years after the events of the first film, Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) are married and are both co-anchors for a prestigious news network in New York City. One day, Mack Tannen (Harrison Ford), the most famous nightly news anchor in New York, reveals that he is retiring. He intends to promote Veronica, making her the first female nightly news anchor in the history of television, and to fire Ron due to his continuously sloppy performance on air. Ron grows jealous of Veronica’s success and storms out of the house, leaving Veronica and his six-year-old son Walter (Judah Nelson).
Six months later, Ron is back in San Diego, but barely able to hold a job due to his depression. After being fired from Sea World and botching a suicide attempt, Ron accepts a job with GNN (Global News Network), the world’s first 24-hour news network, for GNN’s official launch. He reassembles his news team, finding Champ Kind (David Koechner), who owns a fried chicken store (that sells bats secretly to cut down on costs), Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), now a famous cat photographer, and Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), who is presumed dead but appears at his own funeral. They are assigned the unpopular late-night timeslot while obnoxious rival anchorman Jack Lime (James Marsden) is put in a primetime slot. Meanwhile, Ron finds that Veronica is dating another man, a psychologist named Gary (Greg Kinnear) due to his absence.
As GNN launches, Ron decides to broadcast what the people want to hear, rather than what they need to hear. He and his team devise a sensationalist and attention-grabbing newscast. Their new approach proves to be a hit, beating Lime in ratings by a massive margin, and the other news networks scramble to emulate them. Ron and his team are promoted to primetime, where they enjoy fame and fortune. Ron’s success excites GNN’s manager, Linda Jackson (Meagan Good), and a romantic affair begins. Brick meets a similarly eccentric GNN office worker named Chani (Kristen Wiig) and immediately falls in love. Ron lets his newfound fame get to his head and neglects his parental obligations to Walter, angering Veronica. He also alienates Brian, Champ, and Brick, claiming he is tired of carrying them.
During a party celebrating GNN’s success, Lime causes Ron to slip and suffer a head injury, resulting in him becoming blind. Unable to read the news, Ron isolates himself in a lighthouse, unable to adjust to his loss of sight. Veronica arrives with Walter for a visit and Ron bonds with his family, gradually overcoming his disability. Ron and his son rehabilitate a small shark, naming him Doby before setting him free. Ron finds out that Veronica was hiding messages from his eye doctor about an experimental procedure. He leaves angrily, gets his sight restored, and returns to GNN.
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)
Directed by: Adam McKay
Starring: Paul Rudd, Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Christina Applegate, Tina Fey, Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Carrey
Screenplay by: Will Ferrell, Adam McKay
Production Design by: Clayton Hartley
Cinematography by: Patrick Capone, Oliver Wood
Film Editing by: Mellissa Bretherton, Brent White
Costume Design by: Susan Matheson
Set Decoration by: Jan Pascale
Music by: Andrew Feltenstein, John Nau
MPAA Rating: R for language, drug use, sexual material and references.
Studio: DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Pictures
Release Date: December 20, 2013
Visits: 89
