We all thought we had Judd Apatow’s number. He writes and directs a comedy, casts a bunch of unfamiliar faces, and puts in the lead a supporting player from his earlier film. That’s how Seth Rogen’s face graced all the posters for Knocked Up last summer, and that’s how we figured Jason Segel, Jay Baruchel, Martin Starr or another of Knocked Up’s supporting actors would star in Apatow’s next movie.
So now that Apatow has announced the cast for his new project, the actor who will follow Seth Rogen’s footsteps to fame is… Seth Rogen! Hey, no fair cheating, Judd! Variety reported today that Rogen will star in the Apatow-written and directed film, with a plot that’s completely under wraps for now. In another shocker, Apatow has cast his wife, Leslie Mann, opposite Rogen. And in the spirit of helping out up-and-coming young actors, he’s also cast a struggling unknown named Adam Sandler in a supporting part.
Seriously, what gives guys? The fun of Apatow’s two previous movies is the anarchic, boys-will-be-boys goofiness of it all. The lack of major stars and large ensembles made it feel like you were sitting in on an improv session with some unknown comedy troupe. With Sandler, one of the biggest names in comedy, and Rogen, an established star at this point, won’t it feel like we’re actually playing for keeps now, striving for that $100 million box office take?
I hate to complain about anything Judd Apatow does, and I’m still most definitely excited for this. I assume that many of the Apatow regulars will be involved—who wouldn’t want to be in this movie?—but I’m worried he’s tinkering with the formula. Give us a new star, Judd! You mint them the same way you mint money! Seth Rogen is out in the world doing just fine—we want to be introduced to our next sweetheart.
