ZOOLANDER Sequel’s Future In Doubt?

Is Twitter becoming the new way for actors and directors to let fans know the status of their projects in development? It certainly seems that way.

On the heels of Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy writer/director Adam McKay tweeting that Paramount had passed on a proposed sequel to that film, Ben Stiller made a cryptic comment on his Twitter feed, hinting that the in-development sequel to his 2001 comedy Zoolander, may have met a similar fate –

Ron Burgundy and Derek Zoolander looking to appear in sequels. Both men destitute, without means or intellect to fund their own comebacks.

So what is it with Paramount these days? While Zoolander might not have the built in audience that Anchorman has, Stiller could definitely pull in much of the audience that helped his 2008 film Tropic Thunder earn $110 million at the box office.

Wait a minute… There is a link between the two projects- Will Ferrell, who played the villainous fashion designer Mugato in Zoolander, rumored to return in the proposed sequel. (Stiller would show up in a small role in Anchorman a few years later.) Does someone at Paramount have a vendetta against Ferrell? Probably not, but what reason could Paramount have for passing on two potential moneymakers from well established comedy stars?