4/15/2011

Does Judd Apatow's Knocked Up spinoff finally have a title?

Wow, it's been over three months since we first heard about Judd Apatow's next film, a spinoff/continuation thingy featuring Pete(Paul Rudd) and Debbie(Leslie Mann) from Knocked Up. While no details were on plot were ever revealed, Apatow did say that it takes place in current time, so that would mean a few years after the events of Knocked Up. The assumption was that the comedy in some way would deal with the continued unraveling of their marriage.  Then a couple of months later, a couple of casting additions put the film a bit more into focus for me: Albert Brooks entered talked to play Pete's dad, but more importantly Megan Fox was signed to an unspecified role. The only reason to include Fox in a movie like this is as someone who could be a threat to Debbie, someone sexy enough to steal Pete away.

One thing we definitely didn't know is what the film would be titled, but ComingSoon are now saying that it will be called This Is Forty. If that's the case, then it makes it pretty clear what the story will cover, mostly the fact that Pete and Debbie are entering a possible mid-life crisis, and Megan Fox might just be the taste of youthful adventure Pete is looking for.

Knocked Up hasn't held up for me over the last few years, but Pete and Debbie remain the strongest part of that film. I'm usually very weary of supporting characters suddenly thrust into the spotlight because there's a tendency to make them totally unrecognizable from who we liked in the first place. If anybody else were writing this I'd be worried about that, but Apatow is a tremendous writer and clearly has something to say through these characters.  Just please don't let it devolve like the second half of Funny People.