Is Vice a secret sequel to Anchorman?
Earlier this week, the trailer for Christian Bale’s new film Vice dropped, which also stars the likes of Steve Carell, Amy Adams, and Sam Rockwell.
He plays former Vice President Dick Cheney, in the true story of how George W Bush’s number two came to power.
It is directed by Adam McKay. If you don’t know that name, then shame on you. McKay started out on Saturday Night Live, and went on to team with Will Ferrell for all of his best movies, including Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Step Brothers and The Other Guys.
McKay then went on to direct The Big Short – a film about a much more serious, real-life issue (the 2007 financial crash), but still brought his comic sensibilities with him. And he looks like he is doing the same with Vice.
As well as Bale, Vice features some big-name stars as real-world politicians – including Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush and Steve Carell as former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
Carrell of course previously worked with McKay in Anchorman, where he played dim-witted weatherman Brick Tamland. Do you remember how Anchorman ended? As pointed out by critic Mike Ryan on Twitter, there’s a montage of what the characters did next – and it says Brick went on to be “one of the top advisors to the Bush White House”.
I’m glad this scene finally paid off pic.twitter.com/TssqpTP9dZ
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) October 3, 2018
Wait, does that mean Vice is actually a follow-up to Anchorman, with Steve Carrell in the White House!?!
Ok, it doesn’t really add up – Rumsfeld also served as Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under Gerald Ford, during the period when Anchorman is supposed to be set. Plus, y’know, Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney and George Bush are all real people who actually exist in the real world, and shockingly Anchorman is a fictional movie.
Still, it is a pretty great bit of in-joke casting if it is deliberate.
