“Superbad” did so friggin well this summer; completely exceeded expectations and over-performed to the extent that the Judd Apatow produced comedy might be looked as the “40 Year Old Virgin” underdog hit of 2007 (yet another Apatow vehicle).
With “Knocked Up” killin’ it in the spring, “Superbad” being the summer sleeper hit and the rock biopic spoof “Walk Hard” for Christmas this could easily be looked back on as the Year of Apatow.
The triple threat producer, writer, director recently joked to Entertainment Weekly that it’s probably all down hill from here, but that remains to be seen. Let’s look at what else he’s got cookin’ and let’s face it, it’s a lot of material. Apatow has an extended family and he likes to keep his players close. Watch for all the troupe connections, if nothing else, the guy is at least an excellent mentor and a very nurturing and loyal believer in his crew.
It sounds like he’s also instilled a healthy work ethic into his crew too. After all, this could all go away soon and why not strike while the iron is hot? “The best advice Judd gave me is that there are a billion other people who are funny and want to be doing what you’re doing,” Jonah Hill told the NY Times. “The second you stop realizing that — and you stop working as hard — opportunity can go away for you.”
The goal is he wants you to be able to do it on your own,” Hill told the Knoxville Sentinel. “He knows that he [can’t] be there with all of us all the time to help us out. I think he wants us to learn ‘this is how you make a movie.’ “
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
In case you haven’t already read 10,ooo times, Walk Hard” mocks recent music biopic formulas and films like, “Ray” and “Walk The Line” (which it looks like it’s closely throwing digs at). Directed by Jake Kasdan (frequent director of Apatow’s fondly remembered and long deceased highschool TV comedy “Freaks and Geeks“), ‘Hard’ stars John C. Reilly (Co-star of the Apatow produced “Talladega Nights”) as a Johnny Cash-esque character who survives the travails of having a rock career for a few decades. Plenty of guest stars appear including Jack Black, Eddie Vedder, Ghostface Killah and actors portraying the Beatles (more here).
“Walk Hard” trailer
Drillbit Taylor
Not due until March 2008, the trailer for “Drillbit’ was recently put online. Whether that seems premature to you or not is beside the point. With Owen Wilson as one of the main characters, the film might need all the help it can get (but by then we assume he’ll be on the comeback trail if not earlier). ‘Taylor’ teams writing/acting threat Seth Rogen with ‘Undeclared’ writer Kristofor Brown based off an original idea by the veritable godfather of teen comedies, John Hughes (“The Breakfast Club,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” etc.). The gist is this: two loser teenagers, (relative unknowns, Troy Gentile – who doubles as chubby young Jack Black in “Nacho Libre” – and Nate Hartley) hire a bodyguard who unbeknownst to them is an adult loser, Owen Wilson (Drillbit Taylor) to keep them from their high school bullies (Alex Frost and Josh Peck, both of whom strangely enough have no outwardly apparent Apatow connections). The film is directed by Steve Brill who has a small part in “Knocked-Up” and is good friend with Adam Sandler, who in turn is good friends with Apatow (see ‘Zohan’)
“Drillbit Taylor” trailer
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Due May 2008, ‘Sarah Marshall’ finally gives a lead part to longstanding troupe member Jason Segel (“Freaks & Geeks,” “Undeclared” a small “Knocked-Up” role”) who actually wrote the film as well. The film is directed by Nicholas Stoller who helmed a few episodes of “Undeclared” and directed “Fun With Dick and Jane” (which he co-wrote with Apatow). The plot of ‘Marshall’ revolves around a jilted ex (Segel) who tries to forget his famous celebrity ex and heartbreak by escaping to Hawaii only to find this ex gf, Sarah Marshall (played by “Veronica Mars”‘ Kristen Bell) there as well with her new boyfriend to boot (British comedian and TV personality Russell Brand). Paul Rudd (“Virgin,’ and ‘Knocked’) and Jonah Hill (“Superbad”) apparently make cameos and That ’70s Show actress Mila Kunis also has a role in the film. A pimply-faced and very green MTV Intern got a chance to actual briefly be in Zohan. A scene from the movie is included in his mildy charming account of his brush with Hollywood.
The Pineapple Express
A stoner action comedy directed by Terrence Malick-fetishest David Gordon Green is next. It follows the unlikely “Superbad” model of hiring artsy, indie directors to direct Apatow comedies (Bad’s Greg Motolla directed indie fave “The Daytrippers” after a decade-long layoff from film; it’s success has already opened doors for his new project, “Adventureland“). Express reteams “Freaks & Geeks” stars Seth Rogen (“Knocked Up”) and mostly awol-Apatow troupe player James Franco (since ‘Freaks’, Franco has only made a brief ‘Knocked Up’ cameo in all of the various Apatow-produced projects). ‘Pineapple’ is apparently already scheduled for an August 8, 2008 release and has been going through test screenings this summer. We’re hoping Green will continue to use David Wingo to score the film if he can (Wingo has been apart of every Green movie including the most recent “Snow Angels“). The script was written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the pair behind “Superbad.” The film also co-stars Rosie Perez and Ed Begeley Jr. It is said there is more action in this film than any other Apatow film thus far [ed. thus the action comedy genre we said at the beginning, duh]. Green fetishests will note the appearance of Danny McBride (“Bustass from “All The Real Girls“)
You Don’t Mess With the Zohan
Longtime friends and mutual admirers Judd Apatow and Adam Sandler team up for ‘Zohan.’ Due June 2008, if any of these various projects looks like an Apatow misstep, it’s this film, which looks more like another bad Adam Sandler vehicle than a sweet n’ vulgar/cocks n’ heart Apatow film. But it’s pedigree is semi-respectable. Written by Sandler, Apatow and Robert Smiegel (the man behind Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog), the film co-stars John Turturro (another good look until you consider “Mr. Deeds”), the worst comedian of all time, Rob Schnieder and centers around a Mossad agent (Sandler) who fakes his death so he can move to New York and become a hair stylist (that’s got Schnieder’s shitbomb stink all over it). The film is directed by actor/diretor Dennis Dugan (a frequent Sandler collaborator and yet another reason this film might suck). The one plus is the female lead: Entourage hottie and Montreal native, Emmanuelle Chriqui.
Step Brothers
Due July 2008, “Step-Brothers” is apparently the last of the four Apatow films scheduled for next year. It reteams the Mayor with the creative cast and crew of “Talledega Nights” (which was the same team that brought you “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”): friend and long-time collaborator Adam McKay directs (he’s the father of FunnieorDie star Pearl McKay), plus Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly star as spoiled adults who become ultra-competitive step-brothers when their single parents get married. The script, written by Ferrell and McKay, is still apparently in pre-production and has not begun shooting. The film also stars another Veronica Mars cast member, Adam Scott (he had a tiny role in ‘Knocked Up,” they must have a thing for that show)
Year One
The first offering from the 2009 Apatow menu will likely be the Jack Black and Michael Cera vehicle, “Year One.” Cera obviously starred in “Superbad,” and it was only time before a mainstay like Black joined the fold (though he did have a brief cameo as the crazed motorcyclist in ‘Anchorman’). SCTV alum/Ghostbusters star Harold Ramis, who had a small role as Seth Rogen’s dad in “Knocked Up,” will direct and co-produce, and co-wrote the project with “The Office” scribes Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg, based on his story (Owen Wilson is apparently an executive producer). A quick scan of google will reveal that many publications will go on at length about this movie, but not one of them can reveal an iota of the plot details or synopsis. The only tidbit out there was on Wikipedia and it read, “The plot is being kept under wraps at the moment, but the film revolves around cavemen.” Strangely enough, that Wiki entry was taken down, but Google cache never forgets. Does that mean it was wildly incorrect or it revealed too much too soon?
The Middle Child
Apatow’s loyalty even extends to his newest stars as he’s entrusted Jonah Hill – the star of “Superbad” – with writing “The Middle Child.’ Based on a story he pitched to Apatow (Hill began his career with “I Heart Huckabees” and started his Apatow career with a tiny role in “40 Year Old Virgin” – he tried to buy the aquarium platform shoes at the Ebay store but failed), ‘Child’ is about a young man (Hill) who discovers his older brother was given up for adoption before he born. When the brother (Seth Rogen) reunites to become part of the family, Hill’s character sees his world torn assunder as he has suddenly has to face middle child syndrome. Rogen’s character is welcomed with open arms as the “child they always wanted” and Hill finds himself ostracized and on the outs. Jonah Hill recently told the New York Times that he’s still writing the film , but he hopes its the next film he makes. “Judd and I are looking at directors right now,” he said.
Pure Imagination
Another Jonah Hill penned project (Apatow has apparently all but said he believes that Hill is the future of comedy) is the more ambitious and more left-field sounding “Imagination’ which centers around a kid who goes through a series of traumatic events and then develops an imaginary friend. “Then what happens is I meet a girl, and we start dating…but the problem is I don’t know whether she [actually] exists [or] whether she’s a figment of my imagination,” Hill told MTV in July. He plans to star in the film as well and it might be too early to tell the rest of the cast or directors, but there are auteurs that Hill would like to model the film after. “It’s trying to do what we do with ‘Knocked Up,’ ‘Superbad’ and ‘Virgin’, and mix it a little bit with stuff that Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry do,” he said. “It’s kind of like a little bit artisier. I’m so psyched about it.” The film might even employ elements of CGI, but hopes to keep its Apatow-patented human heart at its core. “It’s basically a relationship movie,” Hill said noting that the film has shades of the classic Jimmy Stewart movie, “Harvey.” (In it Stewart is a wackjob who thinks he has an imaginary pet rabbit as a friend).
Apatow in 2009
Three other Apatow films are apparently in development for 2009 and the bulk of them give side-players or extended Apatow family members a leading shot. They include an as of-yet untitled Steve Carrell project; “A Whole New Hugh” – a vehicle for “Daily Show” correspondent Ed Helms; the lawyers who give up their careers to become rappers comedy, “Attorneys At Raw” – a vehicle for ‘Freaks’ and “Undeclared” player David Krumholtz and the marine comedy, “The Recruiter” starring Romany Malco, the black Smart Tech employee of “40 Year Old Virgin.”
The Secret Weapon
SNL’s Kristen Wiig practically stole every “Knocked Up” scene she was in as the hyper jealous TV producer who keeps dropping passive-aggressive barbs towards Katherine Heigl‘s character. She’s the female lead in the upcoming “Brothers Solomon” (not an Apatow project, but does contain friends) and in “Walk Hard,” she plays John C. Reilly’s “unsupportive and very fertile first wife,” according to Time Out New York. She’s one Apatow player to watch for.
Miscellaneous Apatow
According to the always unreliable Hollywood.com there’s also a bunch of other projects in development including Boaz The Great, Early Bird, Long Distance Relationship and an untitled motorcycle cop project and a college project. Proceed with caution and take those with a grain of salt.
PS, if you haven’t seen the Frat Pack Circle of Trust, you should. It’s a circle of Hollywood comedians (centered around Ben Stiller and Luke and Owen Wilson) that contains many, if not all, the members of the Apatow Family Players troupe.
The Music
While his films are not neccesarily known for their music choices, Apatow’s a fan of his old school thinking man’s musicians (a consistent side actor for his films is folk singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III who wrote all of “Knocked Up”s music with a beautifully wistful and moving score). Who might we expect to hear in Apatows next fims? A good bet is Warren Zevon.
According to a Rolling Stone profile on Apatow in the spring, the producer is a huge fan of the hirsute and wry ’70s songwriter/wordsmith, and he got to meet Zevon once in the ’90s, trying to get him to score a movie that was never made. The film was apparently supposed to star Owen Wilson and Rip Torn as Alcoholics Anonymous members and in a meeting Apatow casually mentioned that he was waiting for studio feedback. Zevon looked at him and asked, “What do you care? Why would you change anything for the studio?” And apparently this moment always stuck with him: “It hit me — ‘Oh, he’s an artist! He doesn’t give a shit what anyone says.'” Since then — for better or worse — Apatow’s tried to follow that example.
Download: Warren Zevon – “Nightime in the Switching Yard”
Download: Warren Zevon – “Excitable Boy”
Download: Warren Zevon – “Werewolves of London” (alternate version)