Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are re-teaming for another politically-tinged film, although this one will not likely incite the wrath of North Korea like The Interview did. Long Shot, written by Dan Sterling and formerly titled Flarsky, stars Charlize Theron as Charlotte, a U.S. Secretary of State who is hoping to becoming the country's first female president.
“We wanted to make a movie that acknowledged the political realities we all live in without trying to make too heavy-handed directives. And at the same time make something that’s highly enjoyable and highly entertaining that appeals to as wide an audience as anything I’ve made," Rogen told EW. As the publication notes, "there’s no Trumpian figure, per se. Although, Alexander Skarsgård plays another dreamboat Prime Minister of Canada and Bob Odenkirk takes over as POTUS." Long Shot is styled a romantic comedy in the vein of Knocked Up, though taking place in a different universe than the one we currently live in.
Rogen will also star as Fred Flarsky, “a hard-partying political writer”/”gonzo journalist” with “a talent for trouble." He reunites with his former crush Charlotte by taking on a job punching up speeches. The pair rekindle that old flame, which -- because of Fred's past and present transgressions -- could derail her Presidential bid.
Though Rogen said there was no one else he could imaging playing the part (Theron first join the film as a producer before agreeing to star), Theron was humble in discussing her fears over taking the part: “If anybody knows me from any kind of comedy, it’s probably the darker comedies that I’ve done that are maybe not considered comedies to a lot of people, that maybe are just horror movies. It’s not my play zone. I explored a little bit, but not to the level of working next to Seth Rogen and trying to keep up with that.”
Long Shot will debut in theaters on May 3, 2019. The film also stars O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Den of Thieves), Andy Serkis (Black Panther), June Diane Raphael (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Ravi Patel (Master of None), and Randall Park (The Interview). Theron added in her interview, "Everybody who does not see this will die." Check out the rest of EW's first images below:
