Seth Rogen provided details on Escape, his big action movie five years in the making. The comedian, actor, and filmmaker has never been one to rest on his laurels, and today, some 14 years after his first lead role in Judd Apatow’s a variety of films and television programs.
Arguably one of the most exciting things about the 39-year-old star is his continued willingness to expand the boundaries of comedy. Seemingly not content to create comedies traditionally, Rogen has repeatedly taken risks that have paid off. His desire to take a humorous look at cancer, for example, was a tremendous challenge that ultimately yielded 2011’s 50/50. The same could be said for Rogen’s other unorthodox comedies. This Is the End focused on how Hollywood's biggest celebrities would react to an apocalyptic scenario. At the same time, missteps along the way, but Rogen never seems deterred by experimentation.
Most recently, while speaking to The New York Times, Rogen gave some insight into his latest project, Escape. Once again, Rogen’s comedic boundary-pushing will be on display, this time in “a big action movie” that is heavily inspired by the films of Jackie Chan and Buster Keaton. The action-comedy is hardly a new or unique concept, but with his filmmaking partner Evan Goldberg, Rogen has decided to focus on comedic elements that don’t necessarily depend on dialogue. Goldberg and Rogen have been compiling notes on the proposed project since at least 2016:
In 'Pineapple Express,' the scenes people are the fights, the foot through the windshield and, like, with ‘Neighbors,’ you think of the airbags — we were like, 'Why are those just the ing things? Why are those, amidst a sea of talky jokes, these things that pop up once in a while? Why don’t we make a bunch of these jokes and not rely on verbal humor?'
Rogen explains some of the notes he and Goldberg already compiled for Escape are storyboarded. After working with a professional illustrator, Rogen confirms every shot will get the same treatment. At present, there doesn’t appear to be any specific timeline for Escape, but it does seem to be a project that Rogen is genuinely excited about. Physical comedy has had a place in many of Rogen’s films, but it has never been something that either he or Goldberg have previously built an entire story around. It’s something that few modern films – except for 2011’s Oscar-winning The Artist – have even bothered to try.
After years of being known for some of the best stoner comedies, it’s exciting to watch Rogen continue to evolve comedically. The concept behind Escape sounds interesting, especially if they can pull off the limited dialogue challenge. There’s certainly a fair amount of risk involved in getting a project like this together, especially if the physical comedy ultimately isn’t enough for audiences. But when push comes to shove, Rogen and Goldberg have repeatedly proven themselves capable of finding the funny in practically anything.
Source: The New York Times
