Will Ferrell drops 'Anchorman 2' news on 'Conan' Will Ferrell made a surprise appearance on "Conan" on Wednesday night in character as Ron Burgundy, the scotch-drinking, flute-playing anchor of the Channel 4 Evening News team, to announce he had come to terms with Paramount Pictures on production of a sequel to 2004's "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy." Cue the wild screams, tears of joy and enthusiastic high-fives of bros across America. It's not often the star of a movie dresses in character to announce a much-anticipated sequel. Usually it's simply an announcement on one of the Hollywood trade websites, but it's not unheard of. Johnny Depp dressed as Jack Sparrow and appeared at Disney's D23 expo in 2009 to announce "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides." Ferrell as Burgundy interrupted banter between Conan O'Brien and sidekick Andy Richter with some righteous flute-playing (which Ferrell had a little trouble credibly faking a couple of times) and did some back and forth with the pair before getting down to business. "I want to announce this to everyone here in the Americas," he told the audience. To my friends, in Spain, Turkey and the U.K., including England ... as of 0900 Mountain Time, Paramount Pictures and myself, Ronald Joseph Aaron Burgundy, have come to terms on a sequel for 'Anchorman.' It is official, there will be a sequel to 'Anchorman.'  And with that, he was gone. Ferrell and original "Anchorman" director Adam McKay are expected to once again write the script, with McKay directing. Judd Apatow will return to produce. According to MTV News, production will begin at the end of the year for release in 2013. Ferrell has a history of surprise in-costume appearances on Conan O'Brien's shows. He appeared on Conan's final "Tonight Show" as a Lynyrd Skynyrd-style rocker performing "Free Bird" during the show's closing moments. Photo: Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy in "Anchorman." Credit: Frank Masi / DreamWorks Pictures