Zac Efron and Will Ferrell are teaming up for a new comedy.
It’ll see a newly released convict take hostages.
This marks a reunion for Ferrell and his ‘You’re Cordially Invited’ director Nicholas Stoller.
Writer/director Nicholas Stoller recently brought Will Ferrell back to our screens with new wedding-themed comedy movie ‘You’re Cordially Invited,’ which co-starred Reese Witherspoon in the story of warring nuptial groups.
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Sent directly to Prime Video, it’s currently the most-watched movie worldwide on the service, so you can certainly see why Amazon MGM Studios might want to have the actor and filmmaker team back up again for another comedy outing.
And according to Deadline, that’s exactly what is happening, as Stoller is preparing to make new movie starring Ferrell.
But wait! That’s not all… There’s another reunion in the works for this one, as Zac Efron –– who previously starred for the writer/director in 2014’s ‘Neighbors’ and its 2016 sequel ‘Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising’ –– is also aboard.
While we don’t yet know the title for the movie (the IMDb reports it as ‘Judgement Day’, but perhaps that couldn’t be cleared) the basic logline is out there: Efron plays a young convict fresh out of prison who takes a reality TV courtroom hostage.
His real beef is with the megalomaniac TV judge (Ferrell) for a past ruling that the convict feels ruined his life.
So… yes, we can imagine a blend of reality justice parody (think a twist on ‘Judge Judy’ or ‘Hot Bench’ and the sort of wacky comedy Stoller is known for. That, and a dollop of heart at the core.
What else is Zac Efron working on?
(L to R) Jermaine Fowler, Zac Efron and Andrew Santino in ‘Ricky Stanicky.’ Photo: Amazon MGM Studios.
Efron, who also appeared in Amazon’s ‘Ricky Stanicky,’ recently finished work on ‘Famous,’ director Jody Hill’s latest film.
It’s described a provocative Los Angeles-set thriller that explores the dark side of celebrity. Efron plays both an overzealous fan, Lance Dunkquist, and a Hollywood heartthrob, James Jansen.
The movie is based on the novel by bestselling author Blake Crouch and is adapted for the screen by Chad Hodge, who previously turned Crouch’s ‘Wayward Pines’ trilogy into a series.
Elsewhere, Efron appeared in last year’s ‘A Family Affair’ opposite Nicole Kidman and Joey King and is developing a new TV series called ‘Killing Zac Efron,’ in which he ventures deep into the jungles of a remote, dangerous island to carve his own name in expedition history.
And he’ll show up playing himself in at least one episode of new Seth Rogen-starring Apple TV+ comedy ‘The Studio,’ which finds Rogen playing a studio executive who is promoted to head of the company and must now face the challenge of balancing commercial expectations with his own wish to create arty indie movies.
Fun fact: that series also features a cameo by one Nicholas Stoller, also playing himself.
Aside from ‘You’re Cordially Invited,’ Ferrell most recently appeared in Netflix documentary ‘Will & Harper,’ which has been winning awards but was snubbed for contention at the Oscars.
He has a variety of projects in development as both an actor and producer, including TV series ‘Totally Spies!’ a new Gus Van Sant comedy movie called ‘Prince of Fashion’ and ‘Street Justice’, in which he’ll play a vigilante character dispensing justice outside the law.
Then there’s ‘Playing POTUS,’ a new documentary from ‘Will & Harper’ director Josh Greenbaum, which talks to actors who have played the President on screen (Ferrell famously impersonated George W. Bush on ‘Saturday Night Live’ and for the play ‘You’re Welcome America: A Final Night with George W. Bush.’
Stoller, whose credits also include ‘The Five-Year Engagement’ and ‘The Muppets,’ is the writer and producer of a new adaptation of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm,’ which boasts Andy Serkis as director (less chance for comedy in that one).
He also has a long list of projects at various stages of development including a take on ‘Peter Pan’s Tinker Bell and a comedy that would pair Ferrell with Jason Momoa.
When will the new comedy hit screens?
Despite the star names attached, the new movie is still at the pre-production stage, so Amazon MGM studios has yet to confirm when it might be released.
Also still to gleaned is where it’ll premiere: ‘You’re Cordially Invited’ went directly to Prime Video, so perhaps this latest comedy is headed down the same route?
(L to R) Joey King and Zac Efron talk ‘A Family Affair’.
‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,’ which was co-written and produced by Rogen and features the actor as the voice of Bebop, opens in theaters on August 4th. In honor of the new film, Moviefone is counting down the 35 best films of Seth Rogen’s career. For this list, we are including any movie that features Rogen, even in a small role, and any film that he either, wrote, produced or directed.
(L to R) Seth Rogen as Britt Reid and Jay Chou as Kato in ‘The Green Hornet.’ Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Britt Reid (Rogen), the heir to the largest newspaper fortune in Los Angeles, is a spoiled playboy who has been, thus far, happy to lead an aimless life. After his father dies, Britt meets Kato (Jay Chou), a resourceful company employee. Realizing that they have the talent and resources to make something of their lives, Britt and Kato join forces as costumed crime-fighters to bring down the city’s most-powerful criminal, Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz).
The King (John Cleese) of Far Far Away has died and Shrek (Mike Myers) and Fiona (Cameron Diaz) are to become King & Queen. However, Shrek wants to return to his cozy swamp and live in peace and quiet, so when he finds out there is another heir (Justin Timberlake) to the throne, they set off to bring him back to rule the kingdom.
When a workaholic young executive (Kristen Bell), is left at the altar, she ends up on her Caribbean honeymoon cruise with the last person she ever expected: her estranged and equally workaholic father (Kelsey Grammer). The two depart as strangers, but over the course of a few hilarious adventures, a couple of umbrella-clad cocktails and a whole lot of soul-searching, they return with a renewed appreciation for family and life.
In New York City for their annual tradition of Christmas Eve debauchery, three lifelong best friends (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anthony Mackie, and Rogen) set out to find the Holy Grail of Christmas parties since their yearly reunion might be coming to an end.
After standing in as best man for his longtime friend Carl Petersen (Matt Dillon), Randy Dupree (Owen Wilson) loses his job, becomes a barfly and attaches himself to the newlywed couple almost permanently — as their houseguest. But the longer Dupree camps out on their couch, the closer he gets to Carl’s bride, Molly (Kate Hudson), leaving the frustrated groom wondering when his pal will be moving out.
‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ will open in theaters on April 7, 2023.
While working underground to fix a water main, Brooklyn plumbers—and brothers—Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) are transported down a mysterious pipe and wander into a magical new world. But when the brothers are separated, Mario embarks on an epic quest to find Luigi.
Continuing his “legendary adventures of awesomeness”, Po (Jack Black) must face two hugely epic, but different threats: one supernatural and the other a little closer to his home.
Lifelong platonic friends Zack (Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) look to solve their respective cash-flow problems by making an adult film together. As the cameras roll, however, the duo begin to sense that they may have more feelings for each other than they previously thought.
A sorority moves in next door to the home of Mac (Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Rose Byrne) who have a young child. The Radner’s enlist their former nemeses (Zac Efron) from the fraternity to help battle the raucous sisters.
One day, Horton the elephant (Jim Carrey) hears a cry from help coming from a speck of dust. Even though he can’t see anyone on the speck, he decides to help it. As it turns out, the speck of dust is home to the Whos, who live in their city of Whoville. Horton agrees to help protect the Whos and their home.
Seth Rogen as Ben Greenbaum and Herschel Greenbaum in HBO Max’s ‘An American Pickle.’ Photograph by Hopper Stone.
An immigrant worker (Rogen) at a pickle factory is accidentally preserved for 100 years and wakes up in modern day Brooklyn. He learns his only surviving relative is his great grandson (Rogen), a computer coder who he can’t connect with.
Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell) and Dale Doback (John C. Reilly) might be grown men. But that doesn’t stop them from living at home and turning into jealous, competitive stepbrothers when their single parents marry. Brennan’s constant competition with Dale strains his mom’s (Mary Steenburgen) marriage to Dale’s (Richard Jenkins) dad, leaving everyone to wonder whether they’ll ever see eye to eye.
Mall security guard Ronnie Barnhardt (Rogen) is called into action to stop a flasher from turning shopper’s paradise into his personal peep show. But when Barnhardt can’t bring the culprit to justice, a surly police detective (Ray Liotta) is recruited to close the case.
Po (Jack Black) is now living his dream as The Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, The Furious Five – Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Crane (David Cross), Mantis (Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Monkey (Jackie Chan). But Po’s new life of awesomeness is threatened by the emergence of a formidable villain (Gary Oldman), who plans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu. It is up to Po and The Furious Five to journey across China to face this threat and vanquish it. But how can Po stop a weapon that can stop kung fu? He must look to his past and uncover the secrets of his mysterious origins; only then will he be able to unlock the strength he needs to succeed.
Inspired by a true story, a comedy centered on a 27-year-old guy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who learns of his cancer diagnosis and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease.
(L to R) Seth Rogen as Andrew Brewster and Barbra Streisand as Joyce Brewster in ‘The Guilt Trip,’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions. Photo credit: Sam Emerson. Copyright 2012 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
An inventor (Rogen) and his mom (Barbra Streisand) hit the road together so he can sell his latest invention.
Dave Skylark (James Franco) and his producer Aaron Rapaport (Rogen) run the celebrity tabloid show “Skylark Tonight”. When they land an interview with a surprise fan, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, they are recruited by the CIA to turn their trip to Pyongyang into an assassination mission.
Famous and wealthy funnyman George Simmons (Adam Sandler) doesn’t give much thought to how he treats people until a doctor delivers stunning health news, forcing George to reevaluate his priorities with a little help from aspiring stand-up comic Ira (Rogen).
Twenty-eight-year-old Margot (Michelle Williams) is happily married to Lou (Rogen), a good-natured cookbook author. But when Margot meets Daniel (Luke Kirby), a handsome artist who lives across the street, their mutual attraction is undeniable.
Seth Rogen as Bebop in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.’
After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers (Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon) set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri) helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.
Simba (Donald Glover) idolizes his father, King Mufasa (James Earl Jones), and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Mufasa’s brother—and former heir to the throne—has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.
Frank (Rogen) leads a group of supermarket products on a quest to discover the truth about their existence and what really happens when they become chosen to leave the grocery store.
After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager (Jake Gyllenhaal) is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
Journalist Fred Flarsky (Rogen) reunites with his childhood crush, Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron), now one of the most influential women in the world. As she prepares to make a run for the Presidency, Charlotte hires Fred as her speechwriter — much to the dismay of her trusted advisers.
Seth Rogen as Sandy Schklair in ‘The Disaster Artist.’ Photo courtesy of A24.
An aspiring actor (Dave Franco) in Hollywood meets an enigmatic stranger by the name of Tommy Wiseau (James Franco), the meeting leads the actor down a path nobody could have predicted; creating the worst movie ever made.
When the Valley of Peace is threatened, lazy Po (Jack Black) the panda discovers his destiny as the “chosen one” and trains to become a kung fu hero, but transforming the unsleek slacker into a brave warrior won’t be easy. It’s up to Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and the Furious Five — Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Crane (David Cross), Mantis (Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Monkey (Jackie Chan) — to give it a try.
It’s the 1970s and San Diego anchorman Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) is the top dog in local TV, but that’s all about to change when ambitious reporter Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) arrives as a new employee at his station.
Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac, Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint an intimate portrait of the brilliant man at its epicenter.
Seth Rogen as Bennie Loewy in ‘The Fabelmans’, co-written, produced and directed by Steven Spielberg.
Growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, young Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle) aspires to become a filmmaker as he reaches adolescence, but soon discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth.
Andy Stitzer (Steve Carrell) has a pleasant life with a nice apartment and a job stamping invoices at an electronics store. But at age 40, there’s one thing Andy hasn’t done, and it’s really bothering his sex-obsessed male co-workers: Andy is still a virgin. Determined to help Andy get laid, the guys make it their mission to de-virginize him. But it all seems hopeless until Andy meets small business owner Trish (Catherine Keener), a single mom.
For fun loving party animal Ben Stone (Rogen), the last thing he ever expected was for his one night stand to show up on his doorstep eight weeks later to tell him she’s (Katherine Heigl) pregnant.
Two co-dependent high school seniors (Jonah Hill and Michael Cera) are forced to deal with separation anxiety after their plan to stage a booze-soaked party goes awry.
Only thing worse than living next to a frat house? Living next to a sorority house.
That’s the lesson Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne learn in “Neighbors 2,” the follow-up to the 2014 hit comedy. A bunch of boozing, drugging, hard-partying girls, led by Chloe Grace Moretz, moves in next door to Rogen and Byrne, and just like in the first movie, the couple declares war on the Greeks. This time, though, they call on their former frat boy enemy (Zac Efron) to get these girls out so they can sell their house and move to the suburbs.
“Neighbors 2” is certainly not going for Most Inventive Sequel Ever; the plot looks nearly identical to the original. Even some of the slapstick is recycled. But the first one was pretty funny, and Rogen’s physical comedy never gets old.
“Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” opens in theaters May 20.
“Neighbors” was a surprise hit when it debuted last year, and now, the cast for its sequel is starting to take shape.
Variety reports that Chloe Grace Moretz is currently in negotiations to co-star in “Neighbors 2,” which is re-teaming leads Zac Efron and Seth Rogen. There’s no word yet on who Moretz is playing, and no plot details about the sequel have been released so far.
“Neighbors 2” will mark a rare foray into comedy in Moretz’s already-impressive career. Perhaps this is a turning point for the young actress? After all, her soon-to-be-costar, Rose Byrne (who’s also reprising her role from the original), was also a primarily dramatic actress before she became a comedic powerhouse in flicks like “Bridesmaids” and “Spy.”
Along with Efron, Rogen, and Byrne, director Nicholas Stoller will also return for round two. Stoller’s co-writing the screenplay with a team that includes Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Andrew Jay Cohen, and Brendan O’Brien.
Only thing worse than living next to a frat house? Living next to a sorority house.
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