Original Version Of ‘Anchorman’ Featured Killer Orangutans And Chinese Throwing Stars

Anchorman is widely regarded as one of the greatest comedy movies of all-time. But did you know that there was a much, much, much different plot originally? Will Ferrell was on The Bill Simmons Podcast on Friday and revealed a crazy different version of Anchorman that was originally pitched.

“The first version of Anchorman is basically the movie Alive, where the year is 1976, and we are flying to Philadelphia, and all the newsmen from around the country are flying in to have some big convention. Ron convinces the pilot that he knows how to fly the charter jet, and he immediately crash-lands it in the mountains. And it’s just the story of them surviving and trying to get off the mountainside. They clipped a cargo plane, and the cargo plane crashed as well, close to them, and it was carrying only boxes of orangutans and Chinese throwing stars. So throughout the movie we’re being stalked by orangutans who are killing, one by one, the team off with throwing stars. And Veronica Corningstone keeps saying things like, ‘Guys, I know if we just head down we’ll hit civilization.’ And we keep telling her, ‘Wrong.’ She doesn’t know what we’re talking about.”

Uncle Jonathan’s corn-cob pipe! Live orangutans that will literally rip your face off? That sounds like a great story. Compelling and rich.

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The only man who could have saved the Channel Four News Team from killer orangutans with Chinese throwing stars could have been Brick Tamland armed with a hand grenade and a trident.

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Ferrell also revealed that Anchorman is his favorite movie that he’s done, not only for the hilarious content, but also for the struggle of getting it made. “The one that stands out as the favorite, and it’s a hard choice, is Anchorman,” Ferrell said. “Because of the journey that it took. And it’s kind of the Cinderella story of the movie no one wanted to make.”

Ferrell said that the 2004 comedy about Ron Burgundy was rejected 10 times in one day.

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I kinda wanna see a movie about the Channel Four News Team battle Chinese star-throwing orangutans on a mountain.

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[EW]