Sony has set release dates for a few of its big comedy titles hitting theaters next year:

• 21 Jump Street 2 – The highly-anticipated comedy sequel will hit theaters on June 6, 2014, where it will open opposite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller and stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum return for a story that sees the characters infiltrating a college campus.  For much more info on the sequel, click here.
• Think Like a Man Too – The sequel to the relationship comedy based on the book by Steve Harvey will open in theaters on June 20, 2014 opposite How to Train Your Dragon 2.
• Sex Tape – Director Jake Kasdan’s (Walk Hard) comedy will open on July 2, 2014 opposite Disney’s Maleficent.  The film stars Jason Segel and possibly Cameron Diaz as a couple who set out to find their sex tape that has mysteriously disappeared.

One of the most pleasant surprises of 2012 was Sony’s 21 Jump Street adaptation.  While remakes and reboots are usually developed with an eye towards appealing to the widest possible audience, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller crafted a wonderfully peculiar and hilarious comedy that benefitted from some excellent chemistry between stars Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill.  As the R-rated film grossed over $200 million worldwide, both fans and Sony were keen on moving forward with a sequel.  Screenwriter Michael Bacall has been working on the script for the follow-up alongside Hill, and Sony recently announced that they’re planning the film for a 2014 release.

Steve recently sat down for a lengthy interview with producer Neal Moritz, and during their wide-ranging conversation Moritz talked quite a bit about 21 Jump Street 2.  He confirmed that the story finds Tatum and Hill infiltrating a college campus, Ice Cube is set to return as Captain Dickson, and he also noted that Lord and Miller are attached to direct with an eye towards a summer 2014 release date.  Hit the jump to read on.

A new clip from the directorial debut of Superbad and Pineapple Express scribes Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg has been released online.  This Is the End stars Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and many more as the actors play exaggerated versions of themselves that are trying to survive the end of the world.  The majority of the story appears to take place in James Franco’s house, which serves as the group’s default bunker, and this new clip highlight’s Baruchel’s unwillingness to die at the actor’s house.  The film still looks like it’s going to be a whole lot of fun, and if you somehow still need convincing I suggest you check out the hilarious red-band trailer that was recently released.

Hit the jump to watch this new clip, and click here for Dave’s recap of the pic’s WonderCon panel.  The film also stars Emma Watson, Jason Segel, Michael Cera, David Krumholtz, Paul Rudd, Martin Starr, Mindy Kaling, Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, and Rihanna.  This Is the End opens on June 14, 2013.

After the first red-band trailer debuted earlier this week, a new green-band trailer for Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg‘s This Is the End is now available.  The film definitely looks funny, but I’m wondering how long the premise of celebrity-self-parody can last.  Usually, this kind of performance is a cameo, but This Is the End is all about Rogen, Jonah Hill, James Franco, Danny McBride, Jay Baruchel, and Craig Robinson playing “versions” of themselves.  I’m assuming that as long as the quips and jokes keep coming as quickly as they do in this trailer, then the self-parody won’t wear out its welcome.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also stars Jason Segel, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Paul Rudd, Mindy Kaling, Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, Martin Starr, and more.  This Is the End opens June 12th. 

As promised, the first red-band trailer for Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s comedy This Is the End has dropped.  It’s a more violent and foul-mouthed version of the green-band trailer they screened at WonderCon (which will debut later this week).  There’s plenty of apocalyptic story to be told in this two-and-a-half-minute trailer, but a lot of the great comedic beats and celebrity appearances/deaths are spoiled right off the bat.  The movie’s premise is already a great hook so I’m hoping that not too much more is revealed in the months to come.

Starring Rogen, Jonah Hill, James Franco, Jason Segel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Paul Rudd, Jay Baruchel, Mindy Kaling, Kevin Hart, Martin Starr and more, This Is the End opens June 12th.  Hit the jump to check out the trailer.

The first clip and poster for Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg‘s directorial debut, the apocalypse comedy This Is the End, has been released online.  It’s perfect timing, as tomorrow may or may not be the end of the world as we know it, so keep in mind that this could be the only piece of footage from This Is the End that your eyes will see before an unholy Mayan apocalypse engulfs us all.  It’d be a shame if the world did end tomorrow, though, because This Is the End looks fantastic.  Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride all play themselves in the aftermath of the apocalypse to hilarious results, with plenty of self-referential comedy to go around.  McBride in particular is excellent in this clip, and if this is any indication of what the full film is like, then This Is the End will be the must-see comedy of next summer.

Hit the jump to watch the clip which features a timely introduction by Rogen and Franco, and to check out the film’s poster and a new image.  The film also stars Jason Segel, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, David Krumholtz, Paul Rudd, Martin Starr, Mindy Kaling, Kevin Hart, and Rihanna.  This Is the End opens on June 14, 2013.

Paramount Pictures is looking to stay in the Martin Scorsese business, as the studio behind Shutter Island and Hugo has picked up the director’s latest film, The Wolf of Wall Street, for domestic distribution.  Based on the memoir of Jordan Belfort, the pic stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a hard partying, drug addicted stockbroker who was indicted in 1998 for security fraud and money laundering and served a 22-month federal prison stretch.  The fantastic supporting cast includes Jonah Hill, Kyle Chandler, Matthew McConaughey, Jean Dujardin, Margot Robbie, Joe Bernthal, and Rob Reiner.

Given the film’s pedigree, it’s no surprise that Deadline reports Paramount is planning a fourth-quarter 2013 release date.  That puts Wolf of Wall Street in prime awards season placement, so the film should be a significant player in the 2013 Oscar race.

A new trailer for writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s new film Django Unchained has been released.  This new Django trailer is way more fun than a movie about slavery has any right to be.  We get to see a lot more of Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) and her treatment at the hands of Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).  We get some sage advice from Samuel L. Jackson’s character, Stephen, and a bit of historical postulating from DiCaprio himself. Why, we even get our first look at funnyman Jonah Hill in a somewhat surprising role!

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  Adult supervision is required. The film also stars Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, M.C. Gainey, Walton Goggins, Garrett Dillahunt, Dennis Christopher, Gerald McRaney, Laura Cayouette, Don Johnson, and Tom Savini.  Django Unchained opens on December 25th.

A first look at Jonah Hill’s character in director Martin Scorsese’s financial drama The Wolf of Wall Street has landed online courtesy of some set photos. Hill plays the close friend and business partner of Jordan Beflort (Leonardo DiCaprio), a hard partying, drug addicted stockbroker who was indicted in 1998 for security fraud and money laundering and served a 22-month federal prison stretch.  We’ve already seen a few set photos of DiCaprio in character, and these images of Hill reinforce the idea that Scorsese is going to great lengths to make the actors look like their real-life counterparts.  Hill appears to be wearing some Gary Busey-esque false teeth along with his wonderfully 90s attire, complete with large glasses and a yellow sweater tied around his shoulders.

Hit the jump to take a look at the Hill images along with a new look at DiCaprio and Matthew McConaughey.  The film also stars Kyle Chandler, Margot Robbie, Jean Dujardin, Joe Bernthal and Rob Reiner.

As you’re likely aware, the 2012 Summer Olympics kicked off in London yesterday. In other words, it’s time for me to care about competitive swimming and gymnastics for the first time since the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. To all of our readers, especially those internationally-based, I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on the Summer Olympics. Is it an event that evokes your inner-patriotism and love of otherwise obscure athletic feats? Do you take great joy in defeating the ol’ U.S. of A. in something other than Math and Science scores? Sound off in the comments.

This Saturday brings us the Man of Steel teaser trailer set to John Williams‘ original Superman score, coverage from our visit to the set of Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis‘ The Campaign, an extended trailer and first official images from Cloud Atlas, interviews with the fellas of The Watch, and Brendan’s latest By the Numbers installment covering The Caped Crusader from Batman: The Movie to The Dark Knight Rises. Unless you’re a Top 5 noob (in which case, welcome aboard!), you know that a brief recap and link to each can be found after the jump.

“Let’s keep it 1950s, kids,” Vince Vaughn‘s character says to his teenage daughter and her prom date in Akiva Schaffer‘s The Watch.  That sentiment could be applied to the film’s cherished values, and the characters’ drive to protect the most boring of places: the suburbs.  The suburbs are where white flew after African-Americans began moving into the cities, and now it’s a safe haven where nothing happens or will ever happen.  The paradox of The Watch is in seeing the heroes (played by Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill, and Richard Ayoade) go on a comic adventure to keep the status quo.  But in the dull trappings of Schaffer’s bland direction, Stiller’s killjoy character, and Ayoade’s wasted talented, there’s no comedy or thrills to be found.  It’s a movie where rocking the suburbs won’t wake the neighbors, and only the chemistry between Vaughn and Hill provides any levity to the tame R-rated comedy.

Opening tomorrow is director Akiva Schaffer’s (Hot Rod) sci-fi comedy The Watch (previously titled Neighborhood Watch).  The film stars Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Ben Stiller and Richard Ayoade as a group of neighbors who form a local neighborhood watch group and end up stumbling onto an alien plot to destroy the world.  The film also stars Billy Crudup, Will Forte, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Nicholas Braun.  For more on the film, here’s the latest trailer, a red band trailer, an outtake reel, my video interview with Schaffer, and all our previous coverage.

The other day I got to speak with Stiller, Vaughn, Hill and Ayoade.  We talked about the filthy dialogue, what was in the script versus improv, what scene had the most takes, and who broke the most during filming.  In addition, at the end of the interview I got updates on the 21 Jump Street sequel, Zoolander 2, The Internship and The Double.  Hit the jump to watch.

A new red-band trailer/outtake reel for The Watch has gone online.  For those unfamiliar with the film, it follows a neighborhood watch gang who stumble upon plans for an alien invasion.  There are some regular clips that have appeared in other trailers, and then the outtakes are more like alternate takes that are followed by the actors cracking up at their shenanigans.  I’ll have my review online tomorrow, but I’ll say now that if you want to avoid spoiling some of the jokes for yourself, maybe hold off on watching this until after you’ve seen the movie.

Hit the jump to check out the red-band trailer/outtake reel.  The film stars Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and Richard Ayoade.  The Watch opens Friday.

We’re currently more than halfway through 2012, and 21 Jump Street remains one of the best and most entertaining films of the year.  Though those who had seen directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller‘s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs had high hopes for the film, a lot of moviegoers were caught off guard by just how great 21 Jump Street was.  Miller and Lord’s offbeat sense of humor was buoyed by a smart script and hilarious performances from Jonah Hill and, yes, Channing Tatum.  It’s an all-around great time at the movies, and naturally audiences were left wanting more.

Columbia Pictures President Doug Belgrad recently confirmed that the 21 Jump Street sequel was in development, but he confused quite a few people by saying that production would begin this fall, even though there’s no finished script and no director(s) firmly attached.  Steve recently got to speak with Hill during the press day for the upcoming sci-fi comedy The Watch, and the actor set the record straight regarding the status of the follow-up.  Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

Though we’ll see Ben Stiller and Jonah Hill team up for next month’s sci-fi comedy The Watch, the duo is already planning another project together.  THR reports that Stiller and Hill are attached to star in the comedy pitch Aloha, with Night at the Museum director Shawn Levy set to helm.  Plot details are under wraps, but the story is described as an island-set comedy.  Hill hatched the idea for the project himself, which was then further fleshed out by Hill, Stiller, and Levy on the set of The Watch (which Levy produced).  Hit the jump for more details.