Greg Mottola

Larry David in Talks to Star in Untitled Comedy Directed by Greg Mottola

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: May 16th, 2012 at 7:23 pm

Fox Searchlight is developing a comedy that, if it comes together, offers a very exciting team-up.  Larry David is and Greg Mottola (Superbad) are in talks to star and direct, respectively.  The screenplay is credited to Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer, and David Mandel, a trio who works with David on Curb Your Enthusiasm and co-wrote The Dictator.  THR was unable to ascertain any details about the plot, other than it will be improvised as David does with Curb.  (David and his writers outline the plot, but the dialogue is largely improvised by the actors.)

Last night it was announced Mottola will adapt Jeffrey Eugendies’ novel The Marriage Plot—at the time, there was curiously only speculation that the writer/director might also take the helm.  This report paints a clearer picture, suggesting Mottola might be saving the spot for this project.  I am very eager to hear more about what they have in mind—we will pass along the details once they surface.

Greg Mottola to Adapt THE MARRIAGE PLOT for Producer Scott Rudin

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 16th, 2012 at 8:18 am

Writer/director Greg Mottola has been tapped to adapt Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jeffrey Eugendies’ novel The Marriage Plot.  Mottola is probably best known for helming Superbad, but he also wrote and directed the excellent coming-of-age dramedy Adventureland and helmed Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in 2011’s Paul.  Variety reports that Mottola is in early talks to write the script for the project, and they speculate that Mottola could also direct given that his schedule is clear in the near future.  The story focuses on a love triangle involved three graduates of Brown in the 1980s.  Producer Scott Rudin (The Social Network) acquired the feature rights last November, and it appears he’s eager to get things going.

Mottola most recently directed the pilot and created the visual language for Aaron Sorkin’s highly anticipated new HBO series The Newsroom, also produced by Rudin.  I’m a huge, huge fan of Adventureland, and the kind of “coming-of-age” story that The Marriage Plot involves sounds like it’s right up Mottola’s alley.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of The Marriage Plot.

TOP 5: THE DARKEST HOUR, Simon Pegg and Greg Mottola Interview, Original FRIGHT NIGHT Screening, Bryan Cranston, FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

by Jason Barr    Posted: August 13th, 2011 at 9:17 pm

I hope you’ll pardon the “Top 5′s” lack of punctuality this week. I just returned from a set visit in Louisiana and WiFi was at a premium throughout most of my travels. Although I can say almost nothing about the visit as of now, just know that I arrived there just a touch on the cynical douche side and left really looking forward to the next entry in an iconic horror franchise.

With that out of the way, let’s get to the reason we’re all here: the stories. In this week’s installment, you’ll find fifteen things to know about Summit Entertainment’s upcoming alien invasion pic The Darkest Hour, a dinner/interview with Paul‘s Simon Pegg and Greg Mottola, a recap of the Alamo Drafthouse’s screening of the original Fright Night featuring a Q&A with director Tom Holland, Bryan Cranston talking Breaking Bad, Drive, his near appearance in X-Men: First Class among other things, and the latest iteration of our video/audio podcast For Your Consideration. You’ll find brief recaps and links to all of the above after the jump.

Collider Goes to Dinner with Simon Pegg and Director Greg Mottola to Talk About the PAUL DVD/Blu-ray

by Hunter Daniels    Posted: August 10th, 2011 at 6:42 am

Writing for a film website is a pretty nerdy hobby and not nearly as much fun as it seems most of the time, but occasionally it affords one great fringe benefits. Weirdly, 2011 has for me been dominated by cool fringe benefits involving Simon Pegg and Paul. Earlier this year I got to interview Pegg, Nick Frost and Greg Motolla at Area 51. Pegg even tweeted a photograph of me standing next to him in a full body Tuskin Raider costume. More recently, I got to go to a swanky dinner with Pegg and director Greg Mottola to chat about the Blu-Ray release of the film.

Over the course of the evening, Pegg talked about the origins of the film, his love of different sci-fi, philosophy, the writing process, Mission: Impossible III and IV (Ghost Protocol), Star Trek 2, sequels to Paul, the importance of a good title, the state of geek culture, and much more. I even out-nerded Pegg for the second time; he’d never heard of Harlan Ellison!

Hit the jump for some of the highlights of the evening.

PAUL Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: July 28th, 2011 at 8:29 am

Greg Mottola’s Paul is like a nerd’s version of Ocean’s 11. Written and starring Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, the duo play sci-fi fans who run across an alien named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen), and have to get him to his ship. There are government agents after him – played by Bill Hader, Justin Bateman, Sigourney Weaver and Joe Lo Truglio – and the boys meet a love interest (Kristen Wiig) along the way. Part wish-fulfillment science-fiction, part road movie, Paul works best if you – like the characters – are well versed in nerdom. Our review of the Blu-ray of Paul after the jump.

Sam Waterston Joins Aaron Sorkin’s HBO Drama Pilot MORE AS THIS STORY DEVELOPS

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: June 1st, 2011 at 6:49 am

We’ve known for some time now that Jeff Daniels would lead a new cable news centric drama pilot at HBO called More as This Story Develops. In addition, Emily Mortimer has been confirmed to take the lead female role with Alison Pill and Olivia Munn taking supporting roles. Now The Wrap reports Law & Order alum Sam Waterston, who played Jack McCoy on the staple legal series until its recent cancellation, has signed on for a role in the promising new series. Waterston will play Charles Skinner, the president of the cable news division which houses news anchor Will McCallister’s (Daniels) own show. This assembly of talent with Greg Mottola (Superbad) at the helm of the pilot has me excited for what looks to be yet another great series on HBO.

Emily Mortimer Takes Lead Female Role in Aaron Sorkin’s New HBO Drama

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: May 2nd, 2011 at 4:04 pm

Last week we learned that Marisa Tomei was close to taking the lead female role in a new series pilot for HBO from writer Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) and director Greg Mottola (Paul). However, it looks like another serious contender for the role has been locked into the pilot as Deadline reports Emily Mortimer (Shutter Island, Cars 2) has snagged the lead female role instead. Tentatively titled More as This Story Develops, the new series follows cable news anchor Will McCallister (Jeff Daniels), who has his own show, as well as the show’s female executive producer and staff. Mortimer is playing the executive producer, MacKenzie, for whom producing the news is what she does best and everything else is just noise. I’m thoroughly looking forward to seeing how this project turns out and can’t wait to see who else joins the cast.

Greg Mottola to Helm Aaron Sorkin HBO Pilot

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: March 28th, 2011 at 6:36 pm

We just recently learned that Jeff Daniels was in negotiations to join Aaron Sorkin’s new HBO drama pilot. Now, that pilot seems to have found a director as Deadline reports Greg Mottola (Superbad, Adventureland and most recently Paul) has been tapped to helm the first episode of the potential series. The series follows Will McCallister (Daniels) behind-the-scenes of his own cable news show as well as his female executive producer and staff. This won’t be Mottola’s first venture into TV as he’s previously directed episodes of Undeclared and Arrested Development, two of my favorite comedy series. This makes me wonder if this series will be a blend of Sorkin’s previous television series’ Sports Night, The West Wing, and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (all of which featured pilots directed by Thomas Schlamme). Either way, you can bet I’ll be watching.

PAUL Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 18th, 2011 at 7:19 am

This year, passes to the geek Mecca known as Comic-Con sold out almost instantly.  Movies based on geek-centric properties like superhero movies and sci-fi sequels are worth hundreds of millions of dollars.  With so much money and attention already being paid, does geek culture need a tribute?  I’m not sure, but Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Greg Mottola have made one anyway with their new film, Paul.  The film is a giant road-trip movie that travels not between destinations, but from one geek reference to the next.  The jokes are mostly clever and inventive, but as the film wears on into its third act, the references become predictable and unworthy of the comic talents of everyone involved.  Additionally, despite the great performances of the entire cast, there’s hardly any character development and the only reason we care about the leads is due to the charisma and delivery of the actors.  Paul may be a film for geeks by geeks, but geeks shouldn’t expect a film at the level of Pegg and Frost’s previous collaborations.

Bill Hader Exclusive Interview PAUL; Updates on Future Projects, SNL, SOUTH PARK, and a Lot More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: March 17th, 2011 at 11:57 am

Over the last week, we’ve been posting parts of my exclusive interview with Bill Hader (how he’s a writer on South Park, updates on The Hand Job and other future projects, and SNL).  The reason I got to speak with this very talented comedian is that he has a supporting role in director Greg Mottola’s Paul – which stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.  In the film, Hader plays a Federal Agent who is tasked with helping to locate Paul.

During our extended interview, Hader talked about working with Pegg and Frost, how much was in the script and how much was improv, how Mottola told him to prepare for the film, filming on a very famous street in New Mexico, and a lot more on making Paul.  Hit the jump for the interview and remember to see Paul this weekend!

Director Greg Mottola Exclusive Area 51 Video Interview for PAUL

by Hunter Daniels    Posted: March 13th, 2011 at 6:29 pm

Hitting theaters Friday is Paul, the new film from Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, who previously starred in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. In the film, the comedy duo plays British nerds road tripping across the US after attending Comic-Con. But, when they come across a wisecracking, chain-smoking, dirty-talking alien named Paul, their cross-country trek becomes a run from government operatives who want to dissect their new friend. To promote the film Universal Pictures flew journalists out to Nevada to visit the infamous Area 51 and talk to Pegg, Frost, and director Greg Mottola about their raucous, geeky comedy.

Today we have our interview with Greg Mottola where he tells us about how difficult it was to work with Collider.com editor Steve Weintraub (who was an extra in the film), discusses his fear of inter-dimensional lizard people, describes how Woody Allen introduced him to his wife, and much more.  Hit the jump to watch:

5 Clips from PAUL Starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 3rd, 2011 at 12:54 pm

We have five clips from Greg Mottola’s upcoming sci-fi comedy Paul.  The film centers on two geeks (played by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) who must help an alien (voiced by Seth Rogen) return to his mothership.  I haven’t watched the clips since I’m seeing the film later this week and don’t want to be spoiled.  However, if you can’t wait to get a glimpse of the film (I don’t blame you), then you can check out the clips after the jump.

Paul also stars Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Sigourney Weaver, Jane Lynch, Joe Lo Truglio, and Bill Hader.  The film opens March 18th.

Awesome Mondo Poster for SXSW Premiere of PAUL

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 2nd, 2011 at 10:48 am

Greg Mottola’s Paul is set to premiere at this year’s SXSW Film Festival and the fine folks at Mondo are giving it some sweet poster lovin’.  Created by artist Tom Whalen, the poster will be available to purchase at SXSW.  Details are coming soon, but we wanted to bring you this greatness now.  Check back later for pricing, size, and other facts on this sweet poster. [Update: Universal has sent us a press release stating that the poster is limited to an edition of 225].

Hit the jump to check out the poster.  Paul stars Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kristin Wiig, Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, and Seth Rogen.  The film plays at SXSW on March 13th and opens nationwide on March 18th.

New Red Band Trailer for PAUL

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 23rd, 2011 at 4:42 pm

A new red band trailer for Greg Mottola’s Paul has hit the web, and it does not disappoint. The flick, which follows two British comic book geeks who come come across an escaped alien from Area 51 during their road trip across America, features an all-star cast that includes Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kristin Wiig, Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, Seth Rogen, and many many more. This trailer gives us our first good look at Bateman and Jo Lo Truglio’s characters. Paul hits U.S. theaters on March 18^th. Hit the jump to check out the trailer for yourself.

New Featurette for PAUL Starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost

by Ben Garman    Posted: January 7th, 2011 at 8:30 am

To follow up the new trailer that we posted yesterday, here’s a new Paul featurette with some fresh footage of the Alien comedy and a couple of golden quotes from stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. This is the latest  in our extensive coverage of the movie, so make sure you’re up to date with the poster, set report, and our interviews with Pegg and Frost. The film sees the pair as sci-fi geeks road tripping via Comic-Con to UFO sites and Area 51 when they close encounter an actual alien, Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen), and suddenly find themselves on a mission to return him to his mother ship. Paul is due for release stateside on 18th March 2011 and will be in UK cinemas exactly one month earlier. Alongside Pegg and Frost, it stars Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Hader, and Joe Lo Truglio. Hit the jump for the featurette and more.

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