Summary
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundyis notable for its unique humor and offbeat storytelling, but an original version of the movie sounds amazing as well. Critics had mixed responses to Adam McKay’s directorial debut when it released in 2004. However, the movie has since become a much-quoted cult classic, with audiences appreciating its absurdist, tongue-in-cheek comedy style and outrageous cast of characters.
Will Ferrell recently joined hisAnchormanco-star Christina Applegateon an episode of her podcast,Messy,where the actors discussed behind-the-scenes moments and the history of the film’s development. Ferrell referenced a terrible test screening ofAnchormanthat led the creative team to completely restructure the film’s climax, creating the movie we now know and love. However, even earlier than that,there was a completely different version ofAnchorman, which sounds like it could’ve been hilarious.
10 Funniest Moments From The Anchorman Movies, Ranked
Both of the Anchorman movies are full of memorable moments, all of which are the result of the cast’s impeccable comedic timing and acting talents.
Anchorman’s Original Version Sounds Hilarious
The Original Version Of Anchorman Was Completely Different
In a 2017 interview onThe Ringer’s Bill Simmons Podcast(viaIndieWire), Ferrell revealed thatthe original version ofAnchormanwas a parody of the 1993 survival filmAlive. Directed by Frank Marshall and starring Ethan Hawke,Alivetells the true story of a Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashes in the Andes mountains. It details the extreme conditions the team endured and the lengths they had to go to so they could stave off starvation.
The originalAnchormanscript had all the news correspondents from around the country flying to Philadelphia for a big convention. Along the way, Ferrell’s over-confident character, Ron Burgundy, convinces the pilot he can fly. However, he immediately crashes the plane in the mountains, and like in the originalAlivefilm, the characters all must do what they can to survive.
During the crash landing,the plane also hits a cargo plane full of orangutans and Chinese throwing stars, so, as Ferrell explained,“throughout the movie we’re being stalked by orangutans who are killing, one by one, the team off with throwing stars.” Applegate’sAnchormancharacter, Veronica Corningstone, tries to convince the others that they can reach civilization, but all the male anchors dismiss her pleas. Ferrell said, “We keep telling her, ‘Wrong.’ She doesn’t know what we’re talking about.”
Why Anchorman’s Alive Parody Was Scrapped
The “Kooky” Original Version Of Anchorman Was Too Absurd
Anchormanwas conceived when Ferrell and McKay were working together onSaturday Night Live. The two initially developed a different script, which made its way toBoogie Nightsdirector Paul Thomas Anderson. The other movie was never made, but, based on it, Anderson encouraged Ferrell and McKay to write whatever they wanted. From that encouragement, theAliveversion ofAnchormanwas born. Although Anderson was one ofAnchorman’s first “guardian angels,” Ferrell explained thatthe initial script with theAliveparody was “maybe a little too weird for Paul,“with Ferrelllater admitting himself that it “was a little too kooky.”
The original version ofAnchormandoes sound pretty absurd, and it’s hard to imagine the movie being more successful than it already is. However, with Ferrell and McKay’s combined experience in the years since, it’s easy to imagine that first version ofAnchormanbeing made today, and likely pretty successfully. It may simply be the case of a story before its time. Maybe Ferrell and McKay will get the chance one day to do a different take on anAliveparody.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Cast
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is a comedy film starring Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate that follows the titular Ron as a San Diego news anchor. The movie satirizes the news culture of the 1970s, where men ruled the airwaves, and here, Ron Burgundy is the king. But when the station hires Veronica Corningstone, a female anchor, Ron and the other men’s egos are shaken, forcing them to reckon with the changing social landscape.
