One of my favourite Judd Apatow (40 Year old Virgin, Funny People) comedies would have to be his sophomore directing effort Knocked Up, the 2007 Seth Rogen (Green Hornet, Superbad) vehicle that proved to be a perfect example of comedy gold with heart. That’s why, back in January, I was excited when Hitflix got the scoop from Apatow himself that his next job as writer/director would be set in the same universe as Knocked Up. The plot for the untitled film supposedly revolves around Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann’s characters Pete and Debbie, the married couple living with Katherine Heigl’s character Alison in the original film. Hence, the film is set to be a spin-off rather than a direct sequel or prequel, similar to what Get Him To The Greek was to Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
Having not heard anything of it since, I was under the impression it was just one of the many Hollywood ideas left to float in limbo but some very interesting news has surfaced from two separate sources, both confirming that this comedy is now in pre-production. Deadline’s Mike Fleming has it that none other than comedy legend, writer and director Albert Brooks (Broadcast News, The Muse) is in negotiations to play the father of Rudd’s character Pete in the new spin-off. No word on how his role comes into play as the plot is under wraps, but I’m expecting it to be in the vein of Robert DeNiro’s Meet the Parents performance.
Meanwhile, Hollywood Reporter has the exclusive that the beautiful Megan Fox (Jonah Hex, Transformers) is being optioned to star alongside Mann, Rudd and Brooks. I’m sure some are skeptical by this casting decision, but I’m willing to believe Fox has some comedy acting chops that are just waiting to shine and, after Jonah Hex, let’s be honest, she needs a hit. Rudd and Mann had great chemistry in Knocked Up, so with the right supporting cast and a classic Apatow screenplay, this has the potential to be something great.
