'This Is Spinal Tap' Sequel Casts Real-Life Rock Stars

Harry Shearer as Derek Smalls, Christopher Guest as Nigel Tufnel and Michael McKean as David St. Hubbins in "This Is Spinal Tap"

After 40 years, a This Is Spinal Tap sequel is happening!

More than a year has passed since Rob Reiner first announced the next installment of the fictional rock band's journey, which served as Reiner's directorial debut in 1984, and now more details have emerged about Spinal Tap II.

"The plan is to do a sequel that comes out on the 40th anniversary of the original film and I can tell you hardly a day goes by without someone saying, 'Why don't you do another one?' " Reiner told Deadline in May 2022. "For so many years, we said, 'Nah.' It wasn't until we came up with the right idea how to do this. You don't want to just do it to do it. You want to honor the first one and push it a little further with the story."

In a November 2023 interview, Reiner revealed that Spinal Tap II would be in the same vein as Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz, a documentary on The Band's dissolution and retirement.

That said, part of the magic of the original was the improvisation, and you can expect more of it in the sequel.

"The only thing that matters is that you get people who are good at improvising,” Reiner said of having the loosest of scripts to work with on This Is Spinal Tap. "You have to get people who feel comfortable doing that … then you're off to the races."

Here's everything we know so far about Spinal Tap II.

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When does Spinal Tap II come out?

Spinal Tap II was originally slated for release on March 19, 2024, but will only begin filming that February due to the writers' and actors' strikes. An updated release date hasn't yet been announced.

Who is in the Spinal Tap II cast?

The Spinal Tap II cast features the original three band members, plus some legit rock stars as well. Here's who we know will appear so far:

Christopher Guest as Nigel Tufnel

Christopher Guest will reprise his role as guitar virtuoso and Gumby enthusiast Nigel Tufnel.

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Harry Shearer as Derek Smalls

Harry Shearer, a prolific voice actor on The Simpsons, will be back as Derek Smalls.

Michael McKean as David St. Hubbins

Michael McKean, who recently played brother to the title character in Better Call Saul, will be back as frontman David St. Hubbins.

Rob Reiner as Marty DiBergi

Director Reiner will reprise his role as director Marty DiBergi.

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Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney will appear as himself in Spinal Tap II.

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Elton John

Elton John, who had a star turn as himself in Kingsman: The Golden Circle, will appear in Spinal Tap II.

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Garth Brooks

Country icon Garth Brooks will appear in Spinal Tap II, according to Reiner.

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What is Spinal Tap II about?

So far, we know that Reiner likes keeping his scripts open enough to let his stars improvise, but he did reveal a loose storyline to Deadline in May 2022.

"They've played Albert Hall, played Wembley Stadium, all over the country and in Europe. They haven't spent any time together recently, and that became the premise," he said. "The idea was that Ian Faith, who was their manager, he passed away. In reality, Tony Hendra passed away. Ian's widow inherited a contract that said Spinal Tap owed them one more concert. She was basically going to sue them if they didn't. All these years and a lot of bad blood we'll get into, and they're thrown back together and forced to deal with each other and play this concert."

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Is there a Spinal Tap II trailer?

There's no trailer just yet for Spinal Tap II, but watch this space for updates!

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