It’s a low bar, but MacGruber is arguably the best movie based on an SNL sketch (the only other contenders are The Blues Brothers and Wayne’s World — sorry/not sorry, Stuart Saves His Family). The MacGyver parody, starring Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe, and Val Kilmer as the wonderfully-named Dieter von Cunth, didn’t make much of a dent at the box office with a worldwide gross of under $10 million, but it was an instant cult classic, like the Lonely Island’s other comedies, Hot Rod and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.
There’s been talk of a sequel, but based on a recent interview with director Jorma Taccone, it sounds like MacGruber would more likely return as a TV show. “We just spent the last two days pitching it as a series. Eight-to-ten episodes. I’m really hoping that when you print this there’s an announcement that it’s actually happening, because I know nothing right now,” he told the Daily Beast. “This is the first time I’ve mentioned it, so this may be a tragic interview.”
It’s not: MacGruber: The Show is picking up steam, as Will Forte confirmed to Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that he, along with Taccone and writer John Solomon, pitched the series to “some places.” He then offered a sneak peek, with Fallon playing Vicki St. Elmo and Forte as, of course, MacGruber. Not to spoil anything, but the words “ramming” and “rimming” are brought up. Enjoy!
