By Eleanore Catolico

The goofy antics of the news squad come in full force as Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues travels in time to the 80s. Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and company encounter a brand new media landscape as the era of the 24-hour news cycle begins.

The movie is a satirical romp filled with gut-pounding laughs and surreal, cameo-saturated showdowns that’ll surely turn viral, but is also, weirdly enough, one of director Adam McKay’s most socially conscious cinematic efforts.

Lawndale News sat down with the Funny or Die co-creator at Chicago’s Langham Hotel for a fun conversation about ensembles and improv, the 80s nostalgia factor and the imaginary Twitter chops of our favorite mustachioed broadcast anchor.

What’s the key to ensemble comedy in Anchorman 2?

Adam McKay: The fact that it’s four guys in those main roles made it easier to come into all these new worlds. The only thing that was tough about it was the sheer volume of material that we got. You’ve got all these great actors and there’s a lot of improv.

Anchorman 2 definitely seems to be critical of contemporary mass media. How did that inspiration come about?

Adam McKay: The single biggest difference between the United States and all the other countries of the world is that we have 2000 TV channels. No other country in the world has anything near that. We’re being blasted with media and advertising content to a degree that’s never been seen before. That hinge moment, truly 1980 is when everything changed and immediately you’re commenting on what’s going on now.

Can you talk about the relationship between comedy and music?

Adam McKay: The fun thing about doing feature films as opposed to doing sketches or even TV shows is that you have all this time to just craft every inch. Every single second of the movie we’ve gone through the rhythm and the timing and how it can be done in 20 different ways.

Most comedy is built off surprise, so if you catch people off guard, that’s what you’re looking to do.

Would Ron Burgundy be on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram if he was around in today’s social media climate?

Adam McKay: He’d probably have a young staff who does all his tweeting for him. And I think once every month he’d get drunk and go on Twitter and cause a lot of trouble. And there’s almost no doubt that Ron Burgundy would be working on Fox now.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is now playing in theaters nationwide.