Can Anyone Afford an Anchorman Sequel?

America may be drowning in a tidal surge of sequels, threequels, prequels, reboots and remakes, but it doesn't have to be. Or at least it doesn't have to feel that way -- not if studios would just select its franchises with a little less cynicism and a little more taste. Like Anchorman, for example: An $85 million hit five years ago, a cult classic on DVD, received decent reviews, and featuring a generally beloved cast. Yet while Lionsgate has managed to make five Saw films in the interim, we're still waiting for DreamWorks to close a deal to bring back Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and writer-director Adam McKay. And apparently Ferrell might be waiting for the same thing -- for a long time.

Ferrell went on the air in Australia recently to promote Land of the Lost, telling his hosts that Anchorman's four principals would meet next week to discuss a sequel. Despite joking that Carell and Rudd would have to take pay cuts because he definitely wouldn't, the potential budget isn't really very funny to DreamWorks, which only recently managed to hammer out a financing and distribution arrangement with Disney and its equity backers in India.

After all, in the half-decade since the $24 million original, Ferrell and Carell have blossomed into precious (if slightly inconsistent) commodities; Rudd's closing in after I Love You, Man and Role Models combined for $140 million domestically less than six months apart. Factor in McKay and Judd Apatow, for whom Anchorman represented his own big-screen producing breakthrough, and you've got kind of a perfect storm that hints why this group's films are so rarely franchised out: Who can afford them? Despite all of Ferrell's signature cash cows -- Ron Burgundy, Ricky Bobby, Chazz Michael Michaels (never mind Jackie Moon) -- he has never starred in a sequel. Carell, meanwhile, was a low-budget Jim Carrey alternative in Evan Almighty, and we all know how that turned out.

So even if there's a script, and everyone is coming back (except Christina Applegate, who is expendable no matter how much you want to see her return), what kind of insane first-dollar deals will be required to finance this in 2009? Is Ferrell franchisable in the first place? Is it even worth the hassle for Carell, who already has The Office and the inevitable Get Smart 2 on his plate for the next 12 months? And does Rudd really want to share another poster with these guys when he can write (not to mention develop) his own ticket? Sincerest best wishes for that meeting, everyone -- that's quite an agenda for one day.

· Anchorman 2 Fastly Approaching? [Moviehole via /film]