Will Ferrell and Adam McKay met in 1995, when they joined “Saturday Night Live” on the same day, and went on to make “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” “Step Brothers,” and “The Other Guys” together. They’ve done all that through Gary Sanchez Productions, the production company also responsible for Funny or Die, but Deadline reports that the two have “mutually decided to branch out separately and refocus their creative efforts.”
That said, the two “remain close friends” and “will continue to support each other both personally and professionally.” Ferrell and McKay released a statement to Deadline confirming the move:
“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.”
McKay’s recent output has been more overtly political while still retaining his comic sensibility, winning an Academy Award for co-writing “The Big Short” and receiving Best Picture, Director, and Original Screenplay nods for last year’s “Vice.” Ferrell has remained firmly in the comedy genre, most recently starring in “Daddy’s Home 2,” “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part,” and “Holmes & Watson.”
The two have a number of upcoming projects through Sanchez that they will continue to work on before “winding down” the label.
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