'Knocked Up' Sequel? Paul Rudd & Leslie Mann In New Judd Apatow Film, Director Confirms

UPDATE: HitFix.com reached out to Apatow, who said the new film will be neither a prequel or a sequel:

"It is just a story from Pete and Debbie's current life," he told the site. People really responded to their characters and problems. I felt like there was a lot of ground I could explore with them, so we'll be shooting in July and will come out the following June. There are some fun details yet to reveal but I will let them come out slowly."

For more, click over to HitFix.com

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PREVIOUSLY:

Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann stole the show in Judd Apatow's 2007 film, 'Knocked Up,' and now theft won't even be necessary: Variety reported, and The Wrap later confirmed, that the director is bringing back Rudd and Mann -- and their characters -- for his next film.

Apatow confirmed that report by retweeting a fan's tweet to The Wrap report late Thursday.

In 'Knocked Up,' Rudd and Mann play Pete and Debbie, a mid-30's couple with two kids facing the realities of jealousy and the difficulties of growing older. Ostensibly, they're the supporting act for Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl -- Mann plays Heigl's older sister -- in their own baby/relationship drama, but the two had such on-screen chemistry that Apatow was moved to give them their own starring vehicle, set for a 2012 release.

The plan keeps Apatow's inner circle in place and in films. Rudd has appeared in seven Apatow-produced films, including 'Anchorman' and the upcoming 'Wanderlust.' Mann is even closer to Apatow; in addition to starring in five of his produced films, she is also his real-life wife. The couple's two daughters appeared as Rudd and Mann's children in 'Knocked Up.'

Apatow has had no problem pairing Mann off with other men in his films; in addition to Rudd, she was the love interest of Adam Sandler in 2009's 'Funny People.'

Currently, Rudd is appearing in the romantic comedy 'How Do You Know,' and later in 2011 will be seen in the indie film, 'My Idiot Brother.' Mann will have a busy 2011, as she's set to appear in five separate movies.

Here's a clip of Rudd and Mann discussing their roles in the first film.

WATCH:

Comments

[playsindirt]

06:39 PM on 01/07/2011

My kids make me sit through these movies. I call them STBMs (Stupid Teenage Boy Movies). I think Apatow, while he makes a cr*pload of money cranking out these films, is really not a great writer and/or director. Superbad and Forgetting Sarah Marshall are probably his best films and he didn't write or direct those. He needs to stick to producing.

[dblan9]

01:35 PM on 01/07/2011

I am super interested in whether he hires Heigl back. After what she said about the production and the film itself, it would be a huge token of kindness and forgiveness on his part. It would definitely give me hope for my anger issues.

[Sad But True]

06:12 PM on 01/07/2011

Not a chance.

First off, she's a cancer to a film. Even Jennifer Aniston laughs at her choice in scripts. Secondly, her post-film antics burned a bridge.

[mary896]

12:32 PM on 01/07/2011

Please, PLEASE Hollywood......LAY OFF THE SEQUELS! Is there that major a vacuum of brain power that you've got to keep taking a hit and then grinding it into the ground so that every bit of the original's brilliance is now tainted? Just saying.

[KillerWolf777]

02:54 PM on 01/07/2011

People, stop complaining about sequels. They have been around as long as original movies themselves 9like what, 100 years?), and if you don't like it, don't watch them!

[SaddleBum]

12:15 PM on 01/07/2011

some more creative thinking from hollyweird

[MrBen]

11:27 AM on 01/07/2011

Apatow, the man, not the production company is starting to wear on me. He tried with Funny People to do a more serious film, and it was overall a disappointment. I realize he thinks his wife is awesome (he also clearly loves having a family), good for him and their relationship, but she's not that good of an actress to carry a film. Paul Rudd is great, I have no problem with him being in anything Apatow does. But Apatow as the guy at the helm is the problem. Unless you have someone else writing it, its going to get overly sappy real quick (which is why Pineapple Express was so excellent, Apatow produced and everyone else got to have a hand in it).

[mary896]

12:34 PM on 01/07/2011

I disagree about his wife. She's one of my faves and has been for YEARS. Ever since "Geaorge of the Jungle". I thik she's amazing. Sorry you don't. But that's cool, that's your right!

[luckyann]

01:50 PM on 01/07/2011

I agree completely. His wife's career had stalled before she was married to him and that is because she really isn't a very interesting actress. Nothing personal but I don't find her very talented as an actress. I also feel that he has no insight into how to write female characters and the best female character he had was Catherine Keener in 40 year old virgin. This is probably in no small part due to the fact that she is a real actress (and didn't play an entertainment reporter or a bored housewife contemplating plastic surgery -- these are only archetypes for wealthy movie producers in hollywood!). The best film by far he produced was Superbad and he neither wrote nor directed it.

[Craig 212]

10:25 AM on 01/07/2011

I loved Knocked Up- it's probably the only decent movie Heigl has made.

I think I'd really love to see a Rudd/Rogen buddy comedy, since their Back to the Future discussion at the restaurant was one of my favorite scenes. But Leslie Mann was fantastic in the first movie too, so this is almost as good.

[gemini68]

10:07 AM on 01/07/2011

That's exciting! They were two of the funniest characters and stole every scene they were in and they have great chemistry. I'm interested to find out what the plot of the film will be.

[Jazmo]

10:02 AM on 01/07/2011

The funniest scenes in that movie did not include Katherine Heigle. Bring Seth back for a cameo so he and Rudd can do another road trip together ... the mushrooms in Vegas was truly funny! "Tastes like a rainbow .."

[Phxgwen]

09:42 AM on 01/07/2011

Katherine Heigl threw this movie and Apatow and Rogan under the bus in interviews.. so I would imagine we won't see her in a cameo.

[Craig 212]

10:17 AM on 01/07/2011

I hadn't heard anything about that. Details?

[Bud Moore]

10:59 AM on 01/07/2011

http://www.examiner.com/celebrity-headlines-in-san-francisco/seth-rogen-considers-katherine-heigl-hypocritical-for-knocking-knocked-up

Story here.

[MDEP]

02:19 PM on 01/07/2011

You can also read the actual article where her comments originated from, where in full context her comments do not seem as bad as most people make them out to be. (Obviously, I am a KH fan :))

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/01/heigl200801

[djnc]

09:19 AM on 01/07/2011

Great...more sequels...less creativity!

[Shaun Hensley]

09:15 AM on 01/07/2011

They're better with a script.

[ethiopia1a]

08:33 AM on 01/07/2011

YES PLEAS just kidding

[Sandworm Wrangler]

08:21 AM on 01/07/2011

For the sequel they should just run the first film backwards, then all will be well again.

[Mools]

09:54 AM on 01/07/2011

Except Rudd and Mann's characters in the first movie are in a bad marriage at the begining of Knocked Up and worked it all out at the end. So running the film backwards really just wrecks those two characters.

[Sandworm Wrangler]

08:03 AM on 01/07/2011

May I suggest a vasectomy for the gentleman and a tubal ligation for the lady?

[jazgr8]

08:02 AM on 01/07/2011

Man, was that a terrible, amateurish interview and gross waste of time or what?