Who would have thought turning the two lead characters into total idiots would have been the game changer that finally got Neighbors’ a green light?  Mac and Kelly Radner (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) seem to have their priorities straight.  They love each other and their baby girl dearly, and are deeply dedicated to building a wonderful life for their family, but when a fraternity moves in next door and threatens to destroy that quaint existence, they make one rash decision after the next, sparking an all out war with the boys next door.

While in Austin, Texas for Neighbors’ worldwide debut, producer Evan Goldberg spent some time with Collider at the Funny or Die House decked out in Delta Psi essentials to discuss what it took to convince the studio to let them go big and make this movie.  Find out who could have been the leads in this film, how Byrne was vital to getting this movie made, how her on-set success affected the final cut, and much more straight from Goldberg after the jump. And, in case you missed it, click here to check out what he told us about his upcoming projects, The Interview, Console Wars and Preacher.

Evan Goldberg:

• On changing the title from Townies to Neighbors.
• Nick Stoller’s on-set movie-naming contest.
• On scoring the Andrew J. Cohen and Brendan O’Brien-penned script.
• Making Neighbors a standout frat movie.
• Having something for viewers starting families and those about to graduate college, too.
• Enhancing Mac and Kelly’s relationship with additional photography.
• On a certain milking scene.
• The biggest challenge of the film – getting a green light.