Knocked Up again?!? Judd Apatow to write and direct sequel(or prequel) *UPDATE*

*UPDATE* According to a tweet from Judd Apatow himself, the film will be a sequel as it takes place in the current time...

"it takes place currently. Lots of fun details to it but I will keep them quiet for a little while. It comes out summer 12."

You can read the rest of last night's report on the story below.

Judd Apatow's last film as writer/director was 2009's Funny People, which didn't exactly hit home with a lot of people. It had it's moments(mostly in the more biographical first half), but eventually fell apart into a lousy sitcom. Now we know what his next project is going to be, and according to Variety he'll be going back to his biggest hit yet by revisiting Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann's characters from 2007's Knocked Up.

No word yet on whether or not Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl's characters, the focus of the first film, will make an appearance. Considering Heigl's feelings towards the film, I think it's probably more likely we'll see Rogen show up and not her.

Universal Pictures plans for shooting to begin this summer, with a June 1st 2012 release date already established.

I wonder if this is a way to compensate for Funny People's lukewarm reaction. Knocked Up was by far his most successful comedy as director, grossing over $219M worldwide and establishing Apatow as a comedy force to be reckoned with.