Anchorman's Killer Baboon Plot Revealed

The mainstream comedy Anchorman nearly featured a significantly more outlandish plot involving killer baboons and a plane crash. Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, creators of the film, revealed that Oscar-winning director Paul Thomas Anderson played a key role in steering the script towards a more conventional narrative.

Anderson, who was guest writing for SNL at the time, expressed interest in producing any projects Ferrell and McKay were developing. Upon receiving the original Anchorman script, his enthusiasm waned, prompting the duo to reconsider their approach. This encounter led to a less complicated story, preserving the film's inherent absurdity while making it more producible.

The scrapped script detailed Ron Burgundy and his news team surviving a plane crash with baboons after Burgundy volunteered to pilot. The subsequent adventure involved survival and evasion from the aggressive animals, a concept deemed too complex and costly to film.

Ultimately, Ferrell and McKay successfully balanced the film's outrageous humor with a more manageable plot. The decision to simplify the story, while retaining the core absurdity, is credited with Anchorman's enduring appeal and unique place in comedy cinema.