Seth Rogen’s directorial debut, This Is The End, won’t be out until this summer, but already Columbia is eager for him to make another film, preferably again bringing his friend James Franco along. The studio—which also released the duo’s Pineapple Express—has signed Rogen and writing partner Evan Goldberg to direct and produce their screenplay The Interview, a comedy that concerns “a handsome talk show host” and his not-meriting-a-comment-on-his-attractiveness producer, who suddenly find themselves embroiled in a plot to assassinate the prime minister of North Korea. Rogen would also play the producer, while James Franco would play the actor playing the talk show host, in a recursive commentary on the obvious pageantry that is the news media. Rogen and Goldberg are already confirmed, but talks have yet to begun with Franco—though obviously Columbia is trying to play it cool here, inviting Seth Rogen to their movie party and then being all like, “Oh, do you think James Franco might want to come? Because if he wants to come, that would be cool,” like what they’re doing isn’t totally obvious.
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