- Kevin has finally announced his cast for the upcoming “Zack & Miri Make A Porno” and we’re in for a real treat. Seth Rogen is one of the fastest rising stars Hollywood has seen in years and the lovely Elizabeth Banks has been equally as good in a successful string of dramatic and comedic films herself (including being criminally under-used in all 3 Spider-Man films, but we digress…). USA Today had the first reported story late last night and here’s what they said…
Kevin Smith & Co. make ‘Porno’
It’s a comedy threesome.
Seth Rogen of Knocked Up, Elizabeth Banks of The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Clerks filmmaker Kevin Smith have joined forces for a comedy about two friends who decide to cure their financial ills by making an X-rated video.
Zack & Miri Make a Porno begins shooting in January in Pittsburgh. “It sounds deceptively straightforward with the title, but it’s a little more complicated than that,” says Smith, who acknowledges the topic is an eyebrow-raiser.
The writer/director is famous for pushing the limits of taste in comedies that also are tempered with touching moments, such as Chasing Amy, Dogma and Clerks II. In Zack & Miri, however, the touching moments may also be moments of touching.
“Everything I’ve done, on the surface, seems off-putting to some audience or other, but if you sit down and watch the flicks, you’ll see they’re sweet-natured and not angry or hateful or provocative for the sake of being provocative,” Smith says.
The story is about two platonic friends who discover feelings for each other while trying to earn some cash. The awkwardness of the circumstance and the characters’ unsexiness fuel the jokes.
“It’s very much a love story,” Smith says. “Zack and Miri just want to make a good old-fashioned dirty movie.”
Variety.com followed up that story quickly with one of their own :
Seth Rogen set to ‘Make a Porno’
‘Knocked Up’ star cast in Kevin Smith film
By TATIANA SIEGEL, TATIANA SIEGEL, MICHAEL FLEMING
Seth Rogen has inked to play the titular Zack in writer-director Kevin Smith’s “Zack & Miri Make a Porno” for the Weinstein Co. and Dimension Films. Elizabeth Banks will star opposite Rogen as Miri.
Film reunites the pair, who appeared together in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.”
Story revolves around two lifelong platonic friends who are deep in debt and enlist the help of their friends to make a porn pic for some quick cash. But Zack and Miri realize that they may have more feelings for each other than they previously thought.
Scott Mosier is producing. Shooting is scheduled to begin in January in Pittsburgh.
Film marks the seventh time Smith has collaborated with Bob and Harvey Weinstein — a relationship that began 13 years ago with “Clerks.”
Rogen’s recent credits include “Knocked Up” and “Superbad.” Banks recently appeared in “Invincible.”
We’ll be following the press coverage all day and adding all the newslinks to this story as they roll in : Empire Online, Yahoo!, ComingSoon.net, /Film, Reuters, Aint It Cool News, Earthtimes.org, Entertainment Weekly, IGN, Orlando Sentinel, Cinematical, Guardian Unlimited, Latino Review, VideoETA, Williamette Live, Box Office Prophets, and our good friend Will Wilkins (Radio Askew) has posted Kevin’s entire interview from today’s Opie & Anthony Radio Show right HERE.
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November 16, 2007 at 07:59
Dude, I absolutely cannot wait for this film any more…. Kev you have done yourself proud sir. A top choice in casting…. at least i think the both of them are pretty cool…. at least Seth’s good in Knocked Up, Superbad, and his often overlooked role in Donnie Darko… and Banks, well shes a little hottie.
Congrats once more, and I’m enjoying your latest literary endeavor.
Peace.
November 16, 2007 at 16:11
I was wondering if you were going to be doing a video podcast like you did for Clerks 2 on this one? It was great to watch all the behind the scenes stuff. If you are and need a person to shoot or just want to check out some video locations check out my buddies web series that he has been self producing for 6 years: http://www.somethingtobedesired.com They have some great spaces that they shoot in and a great show that is produced through their own back pocket.
I also just started a MySpace Type page @ http://zachmirimakeaporno.ning.com/.
E-Mail me if you want to have the info so your guys can edit everything.
November 16, 2007 at 16:51
This is spectacular news. I am very impressed with the actors in both roles.
If there is one thing that concerns me is that Seth Rogan has made his career improvising many of his funniest moments. I’ve followed him ever since I stumbled across ‘Freaks and Geeks’, my favorite show ever. Everything he’s done with Judd Apatow (including ‘Freaks’) had him doing some improv.
I guess I just wonder how much Kevin will let him do his thing. I do, however, have a lot of faith that this will be a great flick.
Great casting again!
November 17, 2007 at 15:07
Good thing that “the same thing that’s making Webster look young,” is making Seth Rogen, “look old,” because he is A LOT younger than her. I wonder if her cradle robbery will come up in the flick… it’s 8 fucking years difference.
November 18, 2007 at 00:36
I gotta say, I’m really disappointed with Kevin for choosing Seth Rogen. Kevin has kind of been known for helping up and coming actors in his films and then he picks some flavor of the month like Seth Rogen. Don’t get me wrong, the dude was funny in 40-Year Old Virgin, but it seems Kevin has lost touch with his Indie roots and is integrating himself more with the mainstream. It was nice going to Clerks 2 knowing that I wasn’t going to be bombarded with over-used Judd Apatow jokes that have played out their usefulness. I’m not flaming Kevin, hell, I thought Jersey Girl was a good movie(which is more than some fans can say).
No matter how lame and predictable the comedy world got over the years, we could always count on Kevin to deliver something original, I just really don’t want to see another Will Ferrell-, Owen Wilson-, Ben Stiller-, Vince Vaughn- or Steve Carrell-type comedy. OK, I get it, their characters are ignorant, lets move on.
All I can say is “Please deliver Kevin, you’re the last true soldier in the comedic world.”
November 18, 2007 at 06:37
I’ve been wanting Rogen to work with Kevin since Undeclared (maybe even Freaks, but wasn’t sure he’d ever work again…mean that in the nicest way possible). After Knocked Up where he got to lead a movie and had more to do than most of his previous roles, wanted him to land a role in one of Kevin’s movies and have a chance with his dialogue. This is totally awesome.
Elizabeth Banks as it is now is getting over looked it seems, due to Seth’s current wave of popularity, and that’s a shame. Really liked her in The Baxter.
And the audio from the A&O show was excellent. The whole spelling thing had me in a mass of giggles.