Will Ferrell, Mary Steenburgen, Richard Jenkins and John C. Reilly in “Step Brothers” (2008).Photo:Entertainment Pictures / Alamy
Entertainment Pictures / Alamy
It’s been 15 years sinceStep Brothersdebuted in theaters — and still no sequel.
Step Brotherstells the ridiculous story of two middle-aged man-children: Brennan (Ferrell) lives with his mom Nancy (Mary Steenburgen) and Dale (Reilly) is still at home with dad Robert (Richard Jenkins). The two butt heads when Nancy and Dale get married, merging the two families under one roof.
Reilly toldIndieWireback in 2018 that whileStep Brothersis “funny” and “so broad,” at the “core of it are these very real family issues, and I think that makes the movie really subversive in a way.”
“It has staying power. You know, we really meant it when we made that movie. We weren’t just trying to make people laugh. We really tried to commit to what it would be like to be 40 years old and living with your parents.”
Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in “Step Brothers” (2008).Entertainment Pictures / Alamy
Over the years, the cast (which also includes Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn and Rob Riggle) teased the possibility of a potential sequel — and why it likely won’t happen.
About a sequel, Reilly toldIndieWirein that 2018 interview that they’d “been talking about it pretty much since the first one came out.”
But, “for most artists, sequels aren’t the most attractive thing. Fans, of course, are different. If you like pizza, you want more pizza. I understand people really getting into the idea, but in terms of having something on the table, no, there isn’t.”
“We had some great ideas over the years. I hope I don’t age out of the possibility. It might be really sad if we’re like 60 years old and doing it,” Reilly, now 58, added at the time.
Then, in 2020, Reillytold Conan O’Brienthat they “felt like unless we were really sure that we could do a better version or improve on what it is, let’s leave it alone. Sequels are hard to pull off.”
John C. Reilly, Mary Steenburgen, Richard Jenkins, and Will Ferrell at the “Step Brothers” premiere on July 15, 2008.Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock
Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock
Ferrell, now 56, teased to theNew York Daily Newsin 2017 what idea they’d floated for a followup film.
“We talked aboutStep Brothers, and then Adam and I got sidetracked with other things. We had a whole story where John and I follow our parents to live in a retirement community and try to convince them that we earned the right to retire as well,” he revealed at the time.
Ferrell, who has returned for sequels likeAnchorman 2: The Legend Continuesin 2013 andZoolander 2in 2016, last co-starred with Reilly in 2018’sHolmes & Watson.
A rift between Ferrell and McKay, 55, may prevent a potentialStep Brotherssequel from coming to fruition.
In 2019, they announced that they were parting ways on their business endeavors with Gary Sanchez Productions after 13 years, saying in a statement at the time, “The two of us will always work together creatively and always be friends. And we recognize we are lucky as hell to end this venture as such.”
However,Don’t Look Updirector McKay said in 2021 that their falling out “felt like a breakup” and that thingsbetween them “ended not well.“The director claimed the breaking point came when he decided to recast the role of the Los Angeles Lakers' former team owner Jerry Buss for the seriesWinning Time, hiring Reilly instead of Ferrell for the part.
FerrelltoldThe Hollywood Reporterof their decision to part ways, “Adam was like, ‘I want to do this, and this, and this.’ He wanted growth and a sphere of influence, and I was just like, ‘I don’t know, that sounds like a lot that I have to keep track of.’ To me, the potential of seeing a billboard and being like, ‘Oh, we’re producing that?’ I don’t know. … At the end of the day, we just have different amounts of bandwidth.”
Steenburgen, though, is still down to reprise her role if a sequel ever happens. While onThe Viewin May, the actress, 70, said she still quotes the movie often.
“That movie was so hard to even get through a day of it, because part of it was improvised and part of it was scripted, so the improvised parts, you had no way of preparing. Like, your belly laugh, or biting your cheeks to keep from laughing. It was just divinely, hilariously funny every single day.”
“I wish we would do another, but I’m sure that won’t happen,” added Steenburgen. “But I treasured every second of it.”
source: people.com
