We know Seth Rogen mostly for his acting, writing and producing — yet at some point in the 2010s, he wanted to start directing. It started off successfully with the apocalyptic comedy “This Is the End” (2013), but his second effort ended up being 2014’s “The Interview,” an infamously controversial film that caught the attention of North Korea’s leader.
“The Interview” starred former best friends Rogen and James Franco, following journalists who somehow convince North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un to grant an interview, which is actually a covert CIA operation to assassinate him.
The film ended up causing a storm: the North Korean government threatened the U.S. if Sony dared to release it, and shortly after, Sony was hit with a massive cyberattack.
More than a decade later, Rogen is now directing Apple’s acclaimed series “The Studio,” which features long takes and flashy filmmaking that leans heavily into cinematic ambition.
“It has been a while. The last one we did almost started a war so that made us maybe a little gun-shy for a little while,” Rogen now admits to Variety. “We eased back in through television and it seemed to go well, so we do talk about maybe, hopefully, directing a film next year actually.” He added that in today’s Hollywood, “We’re not the biggest problem anymore.”
Rogen actually co-wrote and co-directed “This Is the End,” “The Interview” and “The Studio” with his creative partner-in-crime Evan Goldberg. Rogen and Goldberg also co-wrote, but did not direct, “Superbad” and “Pineapple Express.”
After a turbulent run in feature directing, Rogen seems to be cautiously re-entering that space again, and might even be shooting something come next year. No word yet on what that project might be, but unlike their first two features, you can bet it won’t involve James Franco.
If you've read this column for a while, you know the drill: I spitball Cannes every month from now until April, updating the latest intel and trying to figure out what will be in competition, vying for the Palme d'Or.