In what appears to be a colliding of two different era's of comedy,
The Hollywood Reporter says brat pack member
Ben Stiller looks close to a team-up with Judd Apatow's generation scribes
Seth Rogen and
Evan Goldberg on the high concept Fox comedy
Neighborhood Watch. Originally scripted by Mr. Popper's Penguins writer
Jared Stern, the sci-fi comedy revolves around a suburban "neighborhood watch" group that actually acts as a ruse for some free male-bonding time for dads away from their families. The sci-fi comes in when the group stumbles across a plot to end the world and it's a new take on the material from the Superbad and Green Hornet scribes that has everyone buzzing after the script was languishing in development hell (David Dobkin and Shawn Levy both came close to making the movie with Will Ferrell).
Akiva Schaffer, the Saturday Night Live writer who directed the Andy Samberg farce Hot Rod has been offered the chance to helm, taking over from previous director's chair warmer
Pete Segal (Get Smart). With a new re-write from Rogen and Goldberg we can pretty much guarantee a lot of gross-out sex and weed gags and perhaps Rogen is also eyeing up one of the male parts. In fact, from what we understand it's a two lead film, so maybe Rogen is in for the second part (or maybe it'll be
Owen Wilson in the least surprising casting of all time). We are reminded that no offer has been made to Stiller but as he has met already with Schaffer and has been considering the project alongside Fox comedy
The Secret Life of Mitty as to what he wants to make next, so a deal is probably imminent. Stiller has just finished his time on
Brett Ratner's ensemble comedy
Tower Heist that opens in November. I haven't read either the old or new drafted screenplays but I gotta say if the project shoots for an older audience with a Judd Apatow/The 40 Year Old Virgin/I Love You Man tone then this could be a very clever role for the now graying Stiller who seems to be too old for the mass audiences nonsenses like Little Fockers these days. This could be a nice change of pace for an actor who showed in Greenberg what depth he can tap into when he's in the mood. Having said that, this movie could easily be the Stiller we don't enjoy so much and the sci-fi elements could be handled so badly.