Rob Reiner looked back on his tremendous body of work and revealed if he had plans for a When Harry Met Sally sequel just two months before his death.
“No, I never wanted to do sequels. I don’t like them,” he told People in September when asked if he would ever consider a second installment of the rom-com. (The interview took place amid the release of his film Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, the sequel to 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap.)
“To me, [Spinal Tap II: The End Continues] is more of a, ‘Let’s see where they are now’ than it is a sequel,” Reiner explained. “I mean, listen, what kind of sequel do you have 41 years after the first? ‘Oh, we’re trading on it.’ It’s not that, like I said, it’s got to be a standalone. I try to figure out where is my mind at that point, and can I find a way to push my own mind and sensibility into whatever it is I’m trying to do? If I can figure out how to do that, I’ll make a film. I have one idea that I might try, but you have to enjoy the process.”
Rob and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their Brentwood, California, home on Sunday, December 14, with apparent stab wounds. The following day, Us Weekly confirmed their son Nick Reiner was arrested on suspicion of murder and was being held without bail. (The couple also shared kids Jake and Romy Reiner and Rob’s daughter, Tracy Reiner, whom he adopted during his first marriage to Penny Marshall.)
Rob, aged 78, will be remembered for his groundbreaking work in the film and TV industry, which spanned more than five decades. The All in the Family alum directed 1989’s cult classic When Harry Met Sally, which starred Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby.
The film follows Harry Burns (Crystal) and Sally Albright (Ryan), who reconnect on a flight five years after graduating college, though they ultimately part ways since they were dating other people at the time. They have another run-in five years after that, deciding to just be friends. Their attraction grows, and after several missed connections and obstacles, Harry and Sally ultimately end up together and get married 12 years and three months after they first met.
Rob revealed that the film brought him close to Crystal, whom he remained friends with until his death. “I still see Billy, I had breakfast with him two days ago,” he said. (Billy, 77, was seen arriving at Rob and Michele’s home with wife Janice Crystal in video footage obtained by ABC 7 on Sunday after their deaths.)
The And So It Goes director also explained he still had a strong bond with collaborator Christopher Guest, who starred in Spinal Tap.
“Christopher Guest is a dear friend,” Reiner told the outlet. “As you get older, you need them more than you ever thought. I’m lucky that I have people that I can hang out with that, as Chris used to say in the old days, you can schnadel with a little bit, that you can do schtick with.”
Guest’s wife, Jamie Lee Curtis, reacted to Rob and Michele’s deaths in a statement shared with Us on Monday. (Curtis, 67, costarred with Reiner on New Girl.)
“Christopher and I are numb and sad and shocked about the violent, tragic deaths of our dear friends Rob and Michelle Singer Reiner and our ONLY focus and care right now is for their children and immediate families and we will offer all support possible to help them,” the statement read. “There will be plenty of time later to discuss the creative lives we shared a the great political and social impact they both had on the entertainment industry, early childhood development, the fight for gay marriage and their global care for a world in crisis. We have lost great friends. Please give us time to grieve.”
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