After Reiner's Death, New Spinal Tap Film Is in Limbo

Fans will have to wait a bit longer for Rob Reiner's final trip to Stonehenge with Spinal Tap. Indy film company Bleecker Street has put release plans on hold for Spinal Tap at Stonehenge: The Final Finale following the director's death on Sunday, sources tell Variety. The concert film, which the distributor picked up in October for the US, never had a firm date but was being targeted for an IMAX rollout in 2026. The company is said to be waiting to determine "the best path forward" in consultation with Reiner's family and those closest to him.

The movie reunites Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer as the mock metal trio, this time staging what's billed as the first rock show ever filmed at Stonehenge—an on-the-nose setting for the band that made a foam version of the monument famous. The film features guest turns from Shania Twain, Eric Clapton, and Josh Groban. The pause comes after a flurry of recent Spinal Tap activity. Earlier this year, Bleecker Street and Fathom reissued 1984's This Is Spinal Tap in a remastered 41st-anniversary edition, and Spinal Tap II: The End Continues hit theaters in September.

In a recent interview about the rerelease, Reiner recalled how the band originated on "The TV Show," a sketch show pilot parodying late-night rock programs, which grew out of the cast's improvised British rock-star personas. Naturally, Spinal Tap makes the cut on most lists now emerging of Reiner's most beloved films. Reiner had remained active up to his death, attached to develop and produce several projects that included a new Fawlty Towers series and the drama Whiskey River.