Movie history is littered with disappointing comedy follow-ups:Caddyshack 2,Men in Black 2, untoldAmerican Pies.
The only one in recent memory thats good is22 Jump Street, Stoller says.
Its a hard genre.
Credit: Chuck Zlotnick
The director and his collaborators came up with some dos and donts for sequelizing the funny.
Early on we were like: Wedontwant it to be bigger.
Thats a mistake people make.
It needs to be the exact same size as the first movie.
Take time to consider every possibility and then throw most of them out.
Every iteration of this script existed as some point.
There was a version where another frat moved in.
We flirted with a version where it was an older couple, a swinger couple.
Theyre not in the movie for a reason.
Which made it boring, because nothings happening, theyre never fighting.
The story should be different, but the themes should be the same.
It would make no sense if [Rogen and Byrne] are dealing with new parenting.
We literally had to study the first movie, and figure out what it was about.
Cut out the fan service.
We had a lot of references to the first movie, and people did not give a sh.
They didnt remember it.
Of course they didnt remember it!
Most people havent been thinking of the first movie.
When in doubt, thinkToy Story.
TheToy Storymovies are all about, Youre kids getting too old for you!
And the theme ofthisis being afraid of the next stage of life.
If the firstNeighborsis dumb, gross, R-ratedToy Story, this is dumb, gross, R-ratedToy Story 2.
