Thursday, October 11, 2007
Draft #205
Anchor Man II: Wes Mantooth's Revenge
I got this idea while in the shower this morning, why hasn't there been an Anchor Man sequel yet? After scrubbing my balls for a few minutes I started to think about the different routes and angles the sequel could take and here is what transpired within the inner workings of my giant man brain.
When we last left Anchor Man: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Ron and Veronica Corningstone had taken their act national which leaves me with a few questions. Who's taken over for Ron and Veronica at the news station back in San Diego? Is Wes Mantooth's station gaining ground in the battle for news team supremacy in that city? What's Mantooth's station like? How are Brian, Brick, and Champ doing at Channel 4 without their fearless leader? I think there is a lot of directions this sequel could take and here are some of the subplots I would focus on.
Scenario 1
Give the audience a look into Mantooth's newsroom. Give us a sample of some of the day-to-day mishaps and blunders that continue to make Wes the #2 anchor in San Diego. I want to know where this frustation of his stems from. Wes could have a mock version of Brian, Brick, and Champ-- a group of idiots that make his job a nightmare.
Scenario 2
The Channel 4 News Team hires a hot shot anchor that isn't much of a team player (a Barry Bonds type if you will). His arrogance and selfishness make him a bit of a rogue within the Channel 4 news team and the guys try to come up with different schemes to make his job difficult (ala goofing with Corningstone to make her want to leave in the original movie) eventually leading to him quitting or being fired. The hot shot anchor is able to keep Channel 4 atop the ratings list (mainly on station reputation) but Ed Harken can feel the heat and it is only a matter of time before they are overthrown. Unless something drastic happens.....
Scenario 3
The straw that broke the camel's back. Mantooth's station just hired a female manager who's a huge sexist and is making life even more miserable for Wes (a renowned womanizer). Eventually Harken and Mantooth get together and sign Wes to a Channel 4 contract. The guys (Brian/Brick/Champ) don't take to Wes right away, but they eventually form a Ron Burgundy type bond. The ratings gap begins to widen and Channel 4 has a ton of momentum and is the clear cut leader in the news industry.
Scenario 4
Meanwhile, back in the national news scene, things are going great for Ron (or at least it seems as such). Slowly, Ron and Vernonica's relationship begins to fall apart and it becomes apparent that Veronica was just sleeping her way to the top and that it was all a sham. Before Ron is hit with this revelation, he is already having problems coming to terms with the fact that his new job isn't as glamorous as he thought it would be. He misses his friends and being the big fish in a small pond-- a town hero of sorts. He's growing tired of being a cookie cutter national news anchor. Nobody wants to party, it's all business, all the time and Ron can't take it anymore.
Scenario 5
Ron hits rock bottom, again. (the grizzled, drinking expired milk and eating cat poop Burgundy is back). Ron's world is upside down and there appears to be no hope. He catches Veronica in bed with another higher up in the news industry, his old arch nemesis is now the #1 anchor in the town he longs to return to, Brian/Champ/Brick have cut off ties and befriended his old nemesis, and oh I don't know, Baxter gets punted off a bridge again. Things couldn't be worse.
What's next?
From here I'm not sure where the movie should turn next. Ron could take up various odd jobs in the San Diego area just to be close to the city he loves. He could work a drive thru window (did they have drive thru's in the 70's?) or whatever other jobs that seem to be beneath his talents. He just wants to be in the shadows (and it's not hard because nobody even remembers him) to make sure he can pounce when the time is right.
I just thought of something:
Slowly but surely, through a series of precise schemes, Wes is driving the Channel 4 News Team into the ground. Wes found out that his old station manager (the she devil) was fired and his old loyalties are burning deep. He takes a look into the mirror and can't believe what he's seeing, he actual helped the newstation he despised with every fiber of his being remain on top.
That's all I got. Throw in a few sex panther jokes and I think this is a pretty good template for a movie idea. Maybe this is something that is already in the works, maybe not. But one thing is for sure, the world is ready for more Ron Burgundy!
# posted by hucklebuck @ 7:51 AM 
