Sony Pictures
Adam McKay and Will Ferrell defined comedy in the 2000s and 2010s
During a recent interview to promote the theatrical re-release of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby for its 20th anniversary, director Adam McKay opened up about the 2019 dissolution of his and Will Ferrell’s creative partnership.
In addition to Talladega Nights, Adam McKay also directed Will Ferrell in the 2000s comedy staples Anchorman (and its sequel), Step Brothers, and The Other Guys.
Their company, Gary Sanchez Productions, was founded by the pair in 2006 and produced beloved modern comedy classics such as Step Brothers and The Other Guys, comedy cult classics like The Foot Fist Way and Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie, and HBO’s Eastbound & Down and Succession.
Adam McKay said he’s “totally open” to reuniting with his former collaborator Will Ferrell following their split in 2019
“I totally have been open to the idea. We always got along great, we were tremendous creative partners. The only thing that caused acrimony between us was when we decided to end our production company, Gary Sanchez. And I know it was reported one way or the other, but that was really it,” McKay told Business Insider.
McKay also detailed the plan they had for a sequel to Talladega Nights, which’ve would’ve taken Ricky Bobby to Europe.
“Ricky Bobby was going to hook up with an F1 team, and he was going to race in Denmark or the Netherlands and feel like he’s in a communist country because they have nationalized healthcare,” McKay said. “So, along with struggling with how fast those F1 cars go, he would have clashed with far-left-leaning Europe compared to America.”
When McKay says “reported in other ways,” he’s likely referencing the notion that their final straw in their split came from McKay casting John C. Reilly as Lakers owner Jerry Buss in the HBO series Winning Time without telling Ferrell. Ferrell, a Lakers fan, was originally attached to the role of the late Lakers owner.
“I should have called him and I didn’t,” McKay told Vanity Fair in 2021. “And Reilly did, of course, because Reilly, he’s a stand-up guy… I f—– up on how I handled that. It’s the old thing of keep your side of the street clean. I should have just done everything by the book.”
Ferrell told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021 that “bandwidth” was the reason their split, saying McKay “wanted growth and a sphere of influence” and that it sounded like “a lot to keep track of.” McKay later told Vanity Fair that Ferrell “was never someone who wanted to produce” and “wanted to move on” from the company.
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby will be playing in select theaters on June 28, June 30, and July 1 to celebrate its 20th anniversary.