To paraphrase one Theodor Seuss Geisel, don’t cry because it’s over, smile because we gotTalladega NightsandStep Brothersout of it. Deadline reports that longtime creative partnersWill FerrellandAdam McKayare officially heading off in different directions. No word on whether this decision cameimmediatelyafter McKay sawHolmes & Watson, or after Ferrell watchedVice.
The duo released a joint statement:
“The last 13 years could not have been more enjoyable and satisfying for the two of us at Sanchez Productions. We give massive thanks to our incredible staff and executives and all the writers, directors and actors we worked with through the years. 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.”
Ferrell and McKay were hired on Saturday Night Live at the same time in 1995. McKay rose to head writer over six years, while Ferrell became one of the sketch series' biggest break-out stars in front of the camera. That leap into a film career saw McKay directing Ferrell in six feature comedies:Anchorman,Talladega Nights,Step Brothers,The Other Guys, andAnchorman 2: The Legend Continues. Together with writer/producerChris Henchy, the pair also founded the production company Gary Sanchez—and, later, its sister label Gloria Sanchez along withJessica Elbaum—responsible or co-responsible for a wide-ranging slate that includes theDaddy’s Homemovies,The House, and HBO’sSuccession. Gary Sanchez will cease productions after its current projects are finished.
McKay has clearly been heading down a much more straight-faced path for a while now, directing two back-to-back social satires inThe Big ShortandVice. For his part, Ferrell seems interested in much of the same; his latest broad comedy,Holmes & Watson, the first Will Ferrell-John C. Reillyjoint not directed by McKay, was a flop both critically and at the box office.
The initial report notes, very reassuringly, that Ferrell and McKay “will continue to support each other both personally and professionally.”
