Interest in visiting Morro Bay might soon just shoot up to an “11,” thanks to a long-awaited movie sequel due out later this year.
Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer recently wrapped production on This Is Spinal Tap 2, the sequel to the 1984 cult comedy mockumentary about a hapless British heavy metal band touring the U.S.
In the sequel, the lads have long disbanded and gone their separate ways. Nigel Tufnel (Guest) now lives in Berwick-upon-Tweed, England, where he owns a cheese and guitar factory.
Derek Smalls (Shearer) runs the New Museum of Glue in London and has curated glue from every country in the world—when he’s not performing with a philharmonic orchestra.
Marty DiBergi (Reiner) the supposed “director” of the original documentary, is on leave from his position as a professor’s assistant at the Ed Wood School of Cinematic Arts to document the group’s antics again.
But, in a particularly curious plot point, lead singer and guitarist David St. Hubbins (McKean) has apparently migrated for some reason to the Central Coast and is living in Morro Bay. He’s busy creating music for a true-crime podcast called “The Trouble with Murder” and writing the background music people hear when they’re placed on telephone hold.
There is no indication from the early published interviews as to why the St. Hubbins character is in Morro Bay or if the production ever came to town. Most of the filming took place last spring in New Orleans.
Plot details are sketchy, but the basic story—developed by Guest, McKean, Reiner, and Shearer—sees Spinal Tap reunite, following a 15-year hiatus, for one final concert to settle a legal dispute.
Cameos in the film, which features brand new Spinal Tap songs, have already been confirmed for Elton John, Paul McCartney, Questlove, Trisha Yearwood, and Garth Brooks. Fran Drescher and Paul Shaffer, who both appeared in the original, are set to return.
This Is Spinal Tap 2 is scheduled to be released in late spring/summer of this year.