Leslie Mann

First Image and New Details on Judd Apatow’s KNOCKED UP Spinoff, THIS IS FORTY

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 16th, 2012 at 8:39 am

The first image has gone online from Judd Apatow‘s Knocked Up spinoff, This Is Forty.  Apatow’s latest comedy brings us back to Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) and the comic trials and tribulations of their marriage.  The movie will pick up several years after Knocked Up and show the couple facing new challenges.  Per the LA Times, “Pete’s music label is struggling and Debbie’s vanity business, a dress shop staffed by the comely Desi (Megan Fox) and the awkward Jodi (Charlyne Yi), needs to help cover the household budget.”  Mann and Apatow’s real-life daughters, Maude and Iris Apatow, will be reprising their Knocked Up characters as well.  I wonder if Iris’ character still likes Green Day.

Hit the jump to see the full image and to learn more about the upcoming comedy.  This Is Forty opens December 21st.

International Trailer for PARANORMAN

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 12th, 2011 at 11:34 am

An international trailer for the stop-motion animated film ParaNorman has gone online.  The movie centers on a young boy named Norman (voiced by Let Me In‘s Kodi Smit-McPhee) who is able to see ghosts but it’s no big deal.  It becomes a bigger deal when his small town comes under attack from the un-dead and he must save the day by stopping a centuries-old curse.  The US teaser trailer is one of my favorite trailers of the year, and the international version is also good, but it’s more focused on introducing Norman and the plot.  The movie still looks like a lot of fun and it will be one worth keeping an eye on in 2012.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also features the voices of Casey Affleck, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, John Goodman, and Alex Borstein. ParaNorman opens in the US on August 17, 2012; it opens in the UK on September 14, 2012.

THE CHANGE-UP Blu-ray Review

by Scott Wampler    Posted: December 12th, 2011 at 6:17 am

David Dobkin’s The Change-Up arrived earlier this year following a marketing campaign pitched at the level of an out-of-control air siren, made a couple of bucks at the box office, and was then promptly forgotten about until now, when the film hit DVD and Blu-ray.  Admit it:  you didn’t even remember this film came out this year until you saw the title of this review.  You probably didn’t bother seeing it in theaters, but if you did, you’ve blocked it from your memory.  Now that it’s available on home video, you’ve got the option of either A) reliving the magic, or B) seeing Dobkin’s film for the very first time.  Should you?  Find out after the jump, folks.

Teaser Trailer for Stop-Motion Animated Film PARANORMAN

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 28th, 2011 at 11:37 am

The first trailer for the stop-motion animated film ParaNorman has been released. The film comes from LAIKA, the animation studio that brought us Coraline, and centers on a boy whose ability to talk to the dead comes in handy when his town is ravaged by zombies, ghosts, witches, moronic grown-ups, and a centuries-old curse. We don’t get any dialogue from this teaser, as it’s just a montage of scenes with Donovan’s appropriately titled “Season of the Witch” playing over the scenes. The images here are pretty spectacular, as expected, and I like the design of the characters. The tag of the trailer really got me as well. I’m excited to see more from this peculiar little fella.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film features the voices of Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In), Casey Affleck, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, John Goodman, and Alex Borstein. ParaNorman opens August 17th, 2012.

Megan Fox Reveals Jason Segel Is Co-Starring in Judd Apatow’s THIS IS FORTY

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 22nd, 2011 at 9:19 am

It looks like the Knocked Up spin-off This Is Forty will get getting another cast member from the original.  Megan Fox posted a picture of her on the set in a swimming pool with co-stars Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids) and Jason Segel.  As you’ll recall, Segel played one of the friends of Seth Rogen’s character in Knocked Up. He’ll be joining stars Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann who are reprising their roles as married couple Pete and Debbie in the Judd Apatow comedy, which Rudd recently said is a “companion piece” to Knocked Up and not a sequel.

Segel will also be starring alongside returning cast member Charlene Yi as well as Albert Brooks, Megan Fox, Chris O’Dowd, Lena Dunham, Melissa McCarthy, Ryan Lee, and Wyatt Russell.  This Is Forty is set to open in December 2012. [Update: Apparently there have been set photos of Segel on set with Mann.  I never saw those, hence this story.]

THE CHANGE-UP Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 4th, 2011 at 2:47 pm

The body-switching comedy is a silly concept which is why it’s been resigned to family films.  Two people who don’t understand each other’s lives switch bodies through magical means and are given new appreciation for what the other does.  The Change-Up turns that concept on its head by re-setting it into a raunchy, gross-out R-rated film and making the characters look inward at to what they’re missing in their own lives rather than appreciating the person whose form they’ve taken.  The result is a film that’s painfully funny, quickly forgettable, and a little bit mean.

New Red-Band Trailer for THE CHANGE-UP

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 27th, 2011 at 12:10 pm

I know the premise of The Change-Up is a little corny but so are all body-switching comedies.  What sets this comedy apart isn’t even its R-rating but simply because you have two great leads in Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman.  A new trailer has gone online and it has some raunchy humor but the best jokes are simply from Bateman and Reynolds playing off each other and how they react to their outlandish circumstances.  I really dug what I saw when I went to the set and I’ve heard that the finished film is painfully funny.

Hit the jump to check out the new red-band trailer.  The film also stars Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde, and Alan Arkin.  The Change-Up opens August 5th.

Comic-Con 2011: Panel Recap and Pilot Review for ALLEN GREGORY Starring Jonah Hill

by Hunter Daniels    Posted: July 27th, 2011 at 8:34 am

Coming October 30th to Fox is Allen Gregory a new animated sitcom co-created by Jonah Hill. During the last day of Comic-Con, Hill along with much of the show’s primary voice actors and writers hit the stage to promote the racy new cartoon.  As Hill describes it:

“We wanted to make a show about the most pretentious seven-year old in the world and his two fathers and his fucked up life.”

And indeed they have. Hit the jump for a recap of the panel and a short review of the show’s pilot.

Co-Writer JON LUCAS On Set Interview THE CHANGE-UP

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 2nd, 2011 at 8:53 am

With the smashing success of The Hangover, screenwriters Jon Lucas and Scott Moore have become a couple of Hollywood’s go-to guys for R-rated comedy.  The Change-Up will be their first R-rated follow-up to The Hangover, and expectations are high, but it looks like the duo have delivered yet again.  This time they’ve spun the family-friendly concept of a body-switching comedy into a R-rated comedy and they could very well have another hit on their hands.

On our visit to the set, we spoke with Lucas (unfortunately, Moore was unable to be there that day) about his R-rated take on traditionally PG material, the process of developing the script, what the cast brings to the table, and more.  Hit the jump to check out the interview.  The Change-Up opens August 5th.

Focus Features Signs Two-Picture Distribution Deal with CORALINE Studio LAIKA; Will Release PARANORMAN Next August

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 4th, 2011 at 11:59 am

Focus Features will reteam with Coraline animation studio LAIKA for two upcoming pictures.  Focus will distribute the first film under the deal, ParaNorman, on August 17, 2012.  The film will be only the second stop-motion animated film to be released in 3D.  Directed by Sam Fell (Flushed Away) and Chris Butler (storyboard supervisor on Coraline), ParaNorman is a comedy thriller about a local boy (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee) who can speak with the dead, which comes in handy when his town becomes under siege from zombies, ghosts, witches, moronic grown-up, and a centuries-old curse.  The voice cast also includes Casey Affleck, Jeff Garlin, John Goodman, Leslie Mann, Christopher Mintze-Plasse, Bernard Hill, Tempestt Bledsoe, Elaine Stritch, and Anna Kendrick.

The yet-to-be-named second picture will be released by Focus in 2014.  Hit the jump for the full press release.

Red-Band Trailer, Poster, and First Images from THE CHANGE-UP Starring Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 20th, 2011 at 2:08 pm

The first trailer for The Change-Up has gone online along with the poster and a couple of images. The film is a body-switching comedy like Freaky Friday except instead of kooky hijinks that bring a mother and daughter closer together, it’s a raunchy, foul-mouthed set of hijinks that centers on two estranged friends played by Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman.  Bateman is the uptight family man while Reynolds’ character is a man-child who dreams of making it big as a Hollywood actor even though he lives in Atlanta.  I got to visit the set earlier this year and I really liked what I saw, so hopefully the film lives up to my expectations.

Hit the jump to check out the red-band trailer, poster, and new images.  The film also stars Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde, and Alan Arkin.  The Change-Up opens August 5th.

Albert Brooks Eyes Role in Judd Apatow’s KNOCKED UP Spin-Off Starring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 16th, 2011 at 7:47 pm

Earlier today, we reported that Megan Fox is in talks to join Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up spinoff, featuring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann reprising their characters from that film. Now it looks like Albert Brooks may be joining the cast as well. Deadline reports that Brooks would play Rudd’s character’s father in the film that Apatow wrote and will direct.

No other plot details are known at this point, but Rudd and Mann stole nearly every scene together in Knocked Up and the pairing of Brooks and Apatow seems like a genius combination, so it’s safe to say that this project’s a bit anticipated. Though Apatow produces plenty, he’s only written and directed three flicks to date: The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Funny People. No word on when production is set to start, but with casting moving rather quickly, the film will most likely be rolling soon.

Megan Fox in Talks to Join Judd Apatow’s KNOCKED UP Spin-Off Starring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 16th, 2011 at 12:36 pm

Megan Fox is in negotiations to join Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up spin-off starring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann.  THR reports that Fox’s role is currently unknown and no plot has currently been revealed for the film other than Rudd and Mann will reprise their bickering husband-and-wife characters from the 2007 comedy.  The under-wraps film is currently set to be released on June 1, 2012.

This is the latest comedy that Fox has signed on to.  She previously boarded Jennifer Westfeldt’s ensemble comedy Friends with Kids with Jon Hamm, Adam Scott, and Kristen Wiig.  Fox’s latest film, Passion Play, was picked up at the Toronto Film Festival despite abysmal reviews.  Play, which co-stars Mickey Rourke and Bill Murray, will be released directed to DVD.  While Fox hasn’t landed a hit in a while, she can be charming when given the right material. Hopefully this new supporting work in these upcoming comedies will help to re-establish her.

Judd Apatow Talks About Continuity of KNOCKED UP Spinoff and PEE-WEE HERMAN Sequel

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: March 1st, 2011 at 9:29 pm

Judd Apatow will spend a good portion of his near future with familiar characters.  He signed on to produce the new Pee-wee Herman movie, the culmination of Paul Reubens’ revival tour of the 1980s character.  More to my interest, Apatow is writing and directing a new feature based on the characters played by Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd in Knocked Up, scheduled for release June 1, 2012.

The Venice Family Clinic honored Apatow with a humanitarian award last night, where he discussed what makes these characters worth revisiting, and how to address the continuity issues that might arise in each property.  Read what he had to say after the jump.

Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann Reprise Their KNOCKED UP Roles for Judd Apatow’s Next Film

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: January 6th, 2011 at 7:51 pm

Universal effectively announced this October that the next Judd Apatow film is scheduled for release on June 1, 2012, before any hint of plot or cast.  This cart-before-the-horse unveiling is usually reserved for sequels, rather than a (presumably) R-rated comedy.

It turns out this is no exception.  The untitled project is a sequel of sorts, at least in the Apatovian tradition.  Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd will reprise their roles as the bickering married couple from Knocked Up.  More after the jump:

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