'Anchorman' love interest: Which comedy actress may appear in the sequel as Steve Carell's girlfriend?

'Anchorman' love interest for Steve Carell's character Brick? Details have been dropping that the sequel may include a comedy actress appearing as Carell's girlfriend.

If you are a fan of Will Ferrell’s absurd, often-improvised, comedy approach, then chances are good you quote Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy whenever the opportunity presents itself (clearly, such people are trapped in a glass case of emotion). Fortunately, fans of Burgundy and his San Diego news team will have new material soon, as Anchorman: The Legend Continues (a.k.a. Anchorman 2) is arriving sometime in the foreseeable future.

Details on the sequel have been drip-dropping these past eight months, since Will Ferrell appeared in character as Ron Burgundy – where he showed off his mad jazz flute skills for Conan O’Brien – and confirmed that, yes, Paramount has green-lit the comedy sequel. That trend continues today, with an update about a possible new casting addition and the film’s expected release date.

The Wrap is reporting that Kristen Wiig has begun talks to sign on for Anchorman 2, with plans for her to play a new love interest to lamp-loving weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carell). Furthermore, the site indicates the film is lined up to reach theaters around October 2013 – as production is on track to begin early next year, once Ferrell and his co-writer/director Adam McKay finish revising the script (which catches up with the Anchorman crew at the birth of the 24-hours news cycle).

Wiig is the Oscar-nominated co-writer/star of the raunch-com smash Bridemaids, a beloved veteran of Saturday Night Live and boasts multiple scene-stealing turns on her resume (in Knocked Up, Whip It, Friends with Kids, etc.). However, there is reason to wonder: will her Anchorman 2 character amount to ‘female Brick’ – see: Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) is ‘female Sheldon’ on The Big Bang Theory - or the opposite of Carell and his clueless cohorts, similar to Penny (Kaley Cuoco) on TBBT or pre-breakdown Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin) on The Office? Either option has its pros and cons; though, maybe Wiig will split the difference and play the Holly Flax (Amy Ryan) to Carell’s other famous dim-witted persona.

On that note: Anchorman 2 continues to look and sound like a prototypical comedy hit followup – where everything from the first film is carried over and made bigger, broader, and crazier (here, the list includes more celebrity cameos and full-blown musical numbers). That means there’s a risk that everything from the irreverent jokes to the satirical jabs at the period time setting could be strained and feel too eager-to-please, this second time around.

Nonetheless, we remain hopeful that the sequel will recapture the inspired mad fun of the original – regardless of whether or not it also includes witches.

Sandy Schaefer blogs at Screen Rant.