Seth Rogen is a busy man. When he is not testifying before a Senate Committee to highlight the desperate need for Alzheimer’s research and funding, he is making three-picture deals through his production company, Point Grey, with the prolific Scott Rudin Productions. The commitment will see Point Grey (Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver) team up with Scott Rudin Productions (Scott Rudin and Eli Bush) to create two narrative versions of documentaries for Sony, and a comedy feature with the gang from Workaholics.
Firstly, there’s Brooklyn Castle. Screenwriter Will Reiser and director Jonathan Levine (both from the 2011 Point Grey production 50/50) will make a narrative version of the award-winning 2012 documentary of the same name, which was directed by Katie Dellamagiore. It tells the story of Intermediate School 318 in Brooklyn, New York, and its after-school chess program. Despite deep budget cuts to the inner-city public school – where 65% students live below the federal poverty level – they created the most successful junior high school chess team in the country, becoming the first middle school team to ever win the US Chess Federation’s National High School Championship.
Then, there’s Console Wars. Filmmakers Jonah Tulis and Blake J. Harris (The Flying Scissors) are currently in post-production with a documentary about the battle for dominance of the video game business between corporate behemoths Sega and Nintendo, throughout the 1990s. Harris also has a book on the subject – ‘Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, And The Battle That Defined A Generation’ – due to hit bookshelves on May 13 2014. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are already writing the narrative version, which will see former Mattel head, Tom Kalinske, brought into the Sega fold at a time when Nintendo were outshining them – and their competition – in every way. From 1990 – 1995, Kalinske instituted major changes that saw the company redress the balance of power in the marketplace, albeit temporarily.
Finally, there’s an untitled original comedy project with the Mail Order Comedy troupe – the group behind the popular comedy series, Workaholics. Workaholics cast member Anders Holm is writing the script, and will co-star along with fellow cast members Adam Devine and Blake Anderson. In addition to Scott Rudin Productions and Point Grey, Isaac Horne is also producing.
The next Point Grey project to hit our screens, however, will be The Interview in late 2014. Directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (This Is The End), and written by the pair with Dan Sterling, the film will star another regular Point Grey collaborator – James Franco. It follows a talk show host and his producer (Franco and Rogen) as they head to North Korea to interview Kim Jong-Un, and then become embroiled in an assassination plot.
The Interview is due for release in the US on October 10, and in the UK on December 5, 2014.
