Universal Pictures presents—in association with Perfect World Pictures—A Point Grey/Good Universe Production of a Nicholas Stoller Film: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Dave Franco, Ike Barinholtz. The comedy’s casting is by Francine Maisler, CSA, Kathy Driscoll-Mohler. The music is by Michael Andrews, and the music supervisors are Manish Raval, Tom Wolfe. The film’s costume designer is Leesa Evans, and the editor is Zene Baker, ACE. The production designer is Theresa Guleserian, and the director of photography is Brandon Trost. Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising is executive produced by Nathan Kahane, Joe Drake, Ted Gidlow, Andrew Jay Cohen, Brendan O’Brien, and it is produced by Seth Rogen, p.g.a., Evan Goldberg, p.g.a., James Weaver, p.g.a. The comedy is based on characters created by Andrew Jay Cohen & Brendan O’Brien. It is written by Andrew Jay Cohen & Brendan O’Brien & Nicholas Stoller & Evan Goldberg & Seth Rogen. Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising is directed by Nicholas Stoller. A Universal Release © 2016 Universal Studios.
THE CAST
SETH ROGEN, p.g.a. (Mac Radner/Written by/Produced by) has emerged as a prominent figure in a new generation of multi-hyphenates, as an actor, writer, producer and director with the ability to generate his own material. In 2011, Rogen, along with lifelong friend and writing partner Evan Goldberg, founded Point Grey Pictures, the production company behind such movies as The Interview, Neighbors, This Is the End and 50/50.
Next up, Point Grey’s first television show Preacher, based on the popular graphic novel series by Garth Ennis, will premiere on AMC on May 22. Rogen and Goldberg directed the pilot and the second episode. In August, Sausage Party, Rogen and Point Grey’s first foray into producing and writing animation, will be released.
In 2014, Rogen co-directed, produced and starred in the controversial, almost never-seen, action-comedy The Interview. Released Christmas Eve in theaters and online simultaneously, The Interview earned more than $40 million in digital sales, making it Sony Pictures’ top-grossing film online. That same year, he was seen in the hugely successful summer comedy Neighbors.
In 2013, Rogen made his co-directorial debut with Goldberg in Sony Pictures’ apocalyptic comedy This Is the End.
In 2011, Rogen executive produced and co-starred in the dramatic comedy 50/50, inspired by the real-life experiences of his best friend. Rogen continued to demonstrate his wide-ranging ability as he co-wrote, executive produced and starred as the main character, Britt Reid, in the action film The Green Hornet. In 2008, Rogen lent his voice to the Academy Award®-nominated film Kung Fu Panda and in 2011, he reprised his role as the sarcastic Mantis in the film’s sequel, Kung Fu Panda 2.
Nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2005 for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program for Da Ali G Show, Rogen began his career doing stand-up in Vancouver, Canada, at the age of 13. After moving to Los Angeles, Rogen landed supporting roles in Judd Apatow’s two critically acclaimed network-television comedies, Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, the latter for which Rogen was also hired as a staff writer at the age of 18. Shortly thereafter, Rogen was guided by Apatow toward a film career, first with the 2005 The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
In 2007, Rogen headlined two summer blockbusters: Knocked Up and Superbad, the latter of which he also co-wrote. In 2008, Rogen found success in the action-comedy Pineapple Express.
Rogen currently resides in Los Angeles.
Zac Efron
Nurturing an impressive body of work that encompasses both film and television, ZAC EFRON (Teddy Sanders) has proven to be one of Hollywood’s most promising talents. Efron has received a wide array of accolades throughout his career, including ShoWest’s Breakthrough Performer of the Year Award (2009) and MTV Movie Awards for Breakthrough Performance (2008) and Best Male Performance (2009), in addition to multiple Teen Choice and Kids’ Choice awards.
Efron will next be seen in Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, a comedy which also stars Adam DeVine, Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza and follows two brothers who place an ad on Craigslist to find dates for a wedding. He is currently filming Baywatch, a comedy based off the popular television show alongside Dwayne Johnson and Alexandra Daddario. He recently wrapped production on The Disaster Artist, a dramedy directed by and starring James Franco along with Seth Rogen and Dave Franco about the making of Tommy Wiseau’s The Room.
Most recently, Efron starred opposite Robert De Niro in Dirty Grandpa, in which he portrayed an uptight groom who, just before his wedding, is tricked into driving his vulgar grandfather to Florida for spring break. Prior to that, he starred in Max Joseph’s We Are Your Friends, which follows a young DJ as he works on what he hopes will be his first hit track but ultimately discovers that success may come at a price. He was also seen in the romantic comedy That Awkward Moment alongside Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan and Imogen Poots. Efron also served as an executive producer on the film under his Ninjas Runnin’ Wild banner.
Additional film credits include the historical drama Parkland; Ramin Bahrani’s independent drama At Any Price; Lee Daniels’ The Paperboy alongside Nicole Kidman, John Cusack and Matthew McConaughey; Liberal Arts, an independent film written and directed by Josh Radnor; The Lucky One, a film adaption of the Nicholas Sparks novel; Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s animated film Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax; Garry Marshall’s New Year’s Eve alongside Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, Halle Berry, Jessica Biel and Hilary Swank; Charlie St. Cloud; 17 Again, opposite Matthew Perry and Leslie Mann; Richard Linklater’s Me and Orson Welles; and the summer box-office smash Hairspray, which won the 2008 Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble. Efron’s television credits include a recurring role on The WB series Summerland, and guest-starring roles on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, ER, The Guardian and CSI: Miami.
Efron became a household name with the launch of the 2006 Primetime Emmy Award-winning Disney Channel phenomenon High School Musical. He reprised his role as Troy Bolton, head of the basketball team, in High School Musical 2, which broke cable television records with 17.2 million viewers. Efron also starred in the feature film High School Musical 3: Senior Year, the third installment of the extremely successful High School Musical franchise, which set a box-office record for the highest-grossing opening-weekend total for a musical.
On stage, Efron starred in the musical Gypsy and has appeared in productions of Peter Pan, Auntie Mame, Little Shop of Horrors and The Music Man.
In addition to acting, Efron established his own production company, Ninjas Runnin’ Wild, with partner Jason Barrett in 2010. Ninjas Runnin’ Wild has a first-look deal with Warner Bros. Pictures with several projects in development.
A native of Northern California, Efron currently resides in Los Angeles.
ROSE BYRNE (Kelly Radner) is best known for her role as Ellen Parsons in Damages, which also starred Glenn Close. The series, created by Daniel Zelman, Glenn Kessler and Todd A. Kessler, ran for five seasons on FX and later DirecTV. Byrne earned two Golden Globe Award nominations and two Primetime Emmy nominations for the role. She is also known for her role in Paul Feig’s comedy Bridesmaids, which also starred Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Melissa McCarthy. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture –Comedy or Musical and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Up next, Byrne will appear in The Meddler, opposite Susan Sarandon. The film follows an aging widow from New York City who follows her daughter to Los Angeles in the hopes of starting a new life after her husband passes away. Additionally, she will reprise her role as Moira MacTaggert in X-Men: Apocalypse, due in theaters on May 27.
Last year, Byrne appeared in the independent film Adult Beginners alongside Nick Kroll and Bobby Cannavale. The film premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, where its distribution rights were acquired by The Weinstein Company’s boutique label, RADiUS-TWC. The film was released in limited theaters on April 24, 2015. Byrne also appeared in the Feig-directed comedy Spy, opposite McCarthy and Jude Law.
Earlier last year, Byrne had her Broadway debut in the limited-engagement run of You Can’t Take It With You. She played the lead role of Alice Sycamore opposite James Earl Jones and Kristine Nielsen.
In 2014, Byrne appeared in the remake of Annie, alongside Jamie Foxx, Quvenzhané Wallis, Cameron Diaz and Cannavale. That same year, Byrne also appeared in Shawn Levy’s This Is Where I Leave You, alongside Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Corey Stoll, Adam Driver and Jane Fonda. She also appeared in the Nicholas Stoller comedy Neighbors, opposite Seth Rogen and Zac Efron. The film opened in theaters on May 9, 2014, and earned over $270 million worldwide.
In 2013, Byrne starred in the Australian film The Turning. She won an award in the category of Best Supporting Actress from the Australian Film Critics Association and Best Actress – Supporting Role from the Film Critics Circle of Australia.
Byrne’s other film credits include The Internship, The Place Beyond the Pines, Insidious, Get Him to the Greek, X-Men: First Class, Marie Antoinette, Troy, Adam and 28 Weeks Later. Theater credits include Sydney Theatre Company’s La Dispute and Three Sisters.
CHLOË GRACE MORETZ (Shelby) has been captivating audiences since she was eight years old when she booked a lead role in Andrew Douglas’ remake of The Amityville Horror for MGM Studios. She has appeared in over 30 films since then, working with the industry’s elite filmmakers and gaining accolades along the way. Her breakout role as Hit Girl in Matthew Vaughn’s cult-classic film Kick-Ass, followed by a starring role in Matt Reeves’ remake of Let Me In, landed her on TIME magazine’s prestigious Top 10 Best Movie Performances of the Year list, as well as, The New York Times Best Performances of 2010 list.
Moretz will soon be seen in Gerard Barrett’s film adaptation of Susannah Cahalan’s novel Brain on Fire alongside Tyler Perry, Carrie-Anne Moss, Richard Armitage, Jenny Slate and Thomas Mann; as well as Sacha Gervasi’s film adaptation of Sam Munson’s novel November Criminals opposite Ansel Elgort.
Moretz starts production this spring in London in the title role for Universal Pictures’ highly anticipated live-action film The Little Mermaid.
Most recently, she was seen as the lead in Sony Pictures Entertainment’s film adaptation of Rick Yancey’s novel The 5th Wave and as the lead in MGM Studio’s adaptation of Gayle Forman’s young-adult novel If I Stay. Her other film credits include Oliver Assayas’ Clouds of Sils Maria alongside Juliette Binoche, which made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival; Sony Pictures Entertainment’s The Equalizer, opposite Denzel Washington; and in the indie film Laggies opposite Keira Knightley and Sam Rockwell, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. As if that weren’t enough, Moretz found time to lend her voice to The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, which received an Academy Award® nomination for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year.
Not only is Moretz a star on screen, she owned the stage with her theatrical debut in Scott Z. Burns’ off-Broadway play The Library directed by Oscar®-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh. The New York Times called her “compulsively watchable.”
In addition to her thriving film career, Moretz continues her stead as the face of Coach’s Spring 2016 campaign. She became the new face of Coach’s “Dreamers” campaign for the iconic brand last year. Says Coach creative director Stuart Vevers, “The Coach ‘Dreamers’ are passionate, creative individuals with original talent who lead their lives in an individual, unexpected way. Chloë’s free-spirited attitude and spontaneity makes her a perfect incarnation of the Coach Spring girl.”
Her riveting performances these past few years have proved successful as she was named one of TIME magazine’s 25 Most Influential Teens of 2014, was presented with People magazine’s Next Generation Star Award for her prolific work in television and film, and won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Dramatic Movie Actress from her starring performance in If I Stay.
In 2013, Moretz starred as Carrie White in the successful remake of the cult classic Carrie, alongside Julianne Moore, and she reprised her role as the fan-favorite Hit Girl in the sequel Kick-Ass 2. Moretz also guest starred on the award-winning television sitcom 30 Rock, where she appeared in multiple episodes as spoiled rich girl Kaylie Cooper. That same year, she starred in Martin Scorsese’s Hugo alongside Sir Ben Kingsley. The film received much critical acclaim and was nominated for 11 Academy Awards. This was followed by a leading role in Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows alongside Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer.
DAVE FRANCO (Pete) first grabbed the world’s attention with his breakout role in 21 Jump Street, opposite Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill as the eco-conscious villain Eric. He was last seen starring in the Fox comedy Unfinished Business opposite Vince Vaughn and Sienna Miller, which was released on March 6, 2015.
Franco will next be seen in Now You See Me 2, the sequel to the box office hit thriller Now You See Me, which also starred Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Woody Harrelson. Franco again plays Jack Wilder, one of the Four Horseman, a theatrical group of magicians who pull off amazing feats of magical distraction while stealing vast sums and evading the police. This fall he will also be seen in Nerve opposite Emma Roberts about a high school senior who finds herself immersed in an online game of truth or dare, where her every move is being manipulated by an anonymous community of “watchers.”
Franco is set to star alongside James Franco and Seth Rogen in the comedy The Disaster Artist, which follows the making of the cult-classic film The Room. The film takes an in-depth look at how Tommy Wiseau came up with the idea of the film, which many consider one of the worst films ever made.
In 2014, Franco starred alongside Rogen, Zac Efron and Rose Byrne in the hit comedy Neighbors, which followed the Radners, a married couple whose neighbors turn out to be a rowdy fraternity. Franco and Efron received the MTV Movie Award for Best Duo for their roles as fraternity brothers Pete and Teddy. Franco also appeared in the romantic hit Warm Bodies opposite Nicholas Hoult.
Franco currently resides in Los Angeles.
IKE BARINHOLTZ (Jimmy) is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after comedians and actors in the comedy world. Barinholtz currently stars as a regular and writer on Hulu’s The Mindy Project. This summer, he will be seen in the Warner Bros. film Suicide Squad. Most recently, Barinholtz starred alongside Amy Poehler and Tina Fey in Universal Pictures’ Sisters.
Additionally, Barinholtz recently wrote the action-comedy Central Intelligence with his writing partner David Stassen. The film stars Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson, and will be released later this year. Barinholtz and Stassen are also reteaming to write an untitled basketball comedy for Universal Pictures, which will star Amy Poehler.
Previously, Barinholtz was a series regular on Fox’s MADtv for five seasons and had a recurring role on HBO’s Eastbound & Down and FX’s The League. He has also appeared on Weeds and Childrens Hospital. He was the star and co-creator of the Spike TV pilot Megawinner and is an alumnus of Amsterdam’s Boom Chicago.
Barinholtz’s feature credits include Neighbors, Meet the Spartans, Disaster Movie and the indie films Shrink, Lock and Roll Forever and Inventing Adam. He also lends his voice as a character on Hulu’s The Awesomes.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, CARLA GALLO (Paula) graduated from Cornell University with a degree in theater arts. Gallo’s first major film role was in David O. Russell’s Spanking the Monkey. This breakout performance garnered Carla an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Female, and the film won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. This caught the attention of the emerging comedic force, Judd Apatow who cast her as the female lead in the cult favorite Undeclared. Gallo went on to work consistently with Apatow in such features as The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Funny People and Get Him to the Greek.
Gallo played dynamic roles in the iconic series’ Carnivàle, Californication and Mad Men. Her recent television credits include 2 Broke Girls, Workaholics and a major recurring role on Bones.
In Universal Picture’s Neighbors, Gallo gave a scene-stealing performance as Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne’s loveably unglued friend.
Her other feature credits include I Love You, Man; We Bought a Zoo; Mother and Child; and Blue Potato.
CHRISTOPHER MINTZ-PLASSE (Scoonie) was a series lead on CBS’s Friend Me, he recurred on Dragons: Riders of Berk and has appeared on Party Down. His film credits include Kick-Ass 2, The Smurfs 2, Movie 43, Pitch Perfect, ParaNorman, Fright Night, Marmaduke, How to Train Your Dragon, Kick-Ass, Year One, Role Models and Superbad. Mintz-Plasse appeared in Universal Picture’s hit Neighbors, opposite Ike Barinholtz, Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Rose Byrne.
Mintz-Plasse can be seen recurring in Netflix’s Flaked, opposite Will Arnett and is voicing a role in DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls. He most recently booked a role in CBS’s pilot The Great Indoors opposite Joel McHale.
An undeniable talent on the rise, actress and musician KIERSEY CLEMONS (Beth) has quickly become known for the diverse and captivating characters she has brought to life on-screen. Clemons recently completed filming and will star in the independent teen comedy-drama Little Bitches, directed by Nick Kreiss and produced by Scott Aversano and Will Russell-Shapiro.
2015 was a breakout year for Clemons, hitting the big screen in Open Road Films’ Dope, which premiered to critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival. Clemons was a scene-stealer as Diggy, a tough lesbian high school student with a colorful imagination who gets caught up in a plan to unload a big stash of drugs. Dope, produced by Forest Whitaker’s Significant Productions and Pharrell Williams, was released June 2015 and re-released nationwide in September. The film won the African-American Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay and was nominated at multiple festivals including the Cannes Film Festival and the Deauville Film Festival. In 2016, Dope was nominated for three NAACP Image Awards including Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture.
Aside from her work in film, Clemons is also making her mark in television and can currently be seen in her recurring role as Bianca on the Golden Globe Award-and Primetime Emmy Award-winning Amazon series Transparent. Season two was released on December 11, 2015, and was recently nominated for People’s Choice and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations including Awards for Favorite Streaming Series and Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Additional television credits include Steven Spielberg’s Extant alongside Halle Berry and Fox’s New Girl.
In addition to acting, Clemons is a talented musician and works on her craft daily. She has collaborated with Grammy Award-winning producer/artist Williams on multiple tracks, and her vocals can be heard in a handful of projects including Dope and Transparent. In September 2015, she appeared in Lady Gaga’s most powerful music video to date, “Til It Happens to You,” directed by Catherine Hardwicke. The song was written exclusively for The Hunting Ground, a 2015 documentary about the college campus rape epidemic around the country.
Born in Pensacola, Florida, Clemons and her family settled in Redondo Beach, California, when she was 12 years old. She was immersed in creativity throughout her childhood, taking vocal lessons, modeling, participating in local theater and putting on shows for her family and friends. By 16 years old, she yearned for a bigger platform and reached out to an agency seeking representation. They immediately signed her, and soon after, she landed her first television gig, a guest-starring role on the hit Disney Channel Original series, Shake It Up! Proving herself to the network, she eventually became the recurring character Kira Starr on Austin & Ally, and starred as Skye Sailor in the Disney Channel Original movie Cloud 9. Early on in her career, Clemons appeared on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Good Luck Charlie and Bucket and Skinner’s Epic Adventures.
In addition to Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, BEANIE FELDSTEIN (Nora) recently co-starred in the ABC Family comedy Fan Girl, appeared in Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black, Disney Channel’s Madison High and ABC Family’s My Wife and Kids. Feldstein is also a very talented singer, and happens to be Jonah Hill’s sister.
Primetime Emmy Award-winning actress LISA KUDROW (Dean Carol Gladstone) continues to bring her original sense of comedic timing and delivery to every role she takes on, venturing among film, television and the Internet with ease.
Kudrow made her feature film debut in the Albert Brooks comedy Mother in 1996. Following Mother, she starred in Clockwatchers (1997), opposite Toni Collette and Parker Posey, and the critically acclaimed hit comedy Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997) with Mira Sorvino, which garnered her widespread popularity with film audiences.
Kudrow went on to star in The Opposite of Sex, for writer/director Don Roos (1998); Analyze This (1999) and its sequel, Analyze That (2002), with Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal; Lucky Numbers (2000) with John Travolta; Hanging Up (2000) opposite Meg Ryan and Diane Keaton; Wonderland (2003) with Val Kilmer; Roos’ Happy Endings (2005); Kabluey (2007); P.S. I Love You (2007), with Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler; Hotel for Dogs (2009); Paper Man (2009) opposite Jeff Daniels and Ryan Reynolds; Bandslam (2009); and Easy A (2010) with Emma Stone, Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson and Thomas Haden Church. Audiences last saw Kudrow in the Universal Pictures film Neighbors, which starred Zac Efron and Seth Rogen.
In 2016, audiences will see Kudrow alongside Emily Blunt, Luke Evans, Justin Theroux and Allison Janney in the psychological thriller The Girl on the Train, directed by Tate Taylor. She will also be seen in Jeffrey Blitz’s upcoming feature Table 19, which also stars Anna Kendrick.
The actress has always received rave reviews for her feature film roles. She won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress and earned nominations for the Chicago Film Critics Association Award and the Independent Spirit Award for her role in The Opposite of Sex. She won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award and received a nomination for an American Comedy Award for her role in Harold Ramis’ box-office hit Analyze This.
Of course, it was Kudrow’s role as Phoebe Buffay, the character she brilliantly portrayed on the NBC hit comedy series Friends for 10 seasons (1994-2004), that brought her to audience attention worldwide. For this role, Kudrow won the 1998 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Additionally, she was nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for the role, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series and an American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Female Performer in a TV Series.
In fall 2003, Kudrow formed the production company Is or Isn’t Entertainment with actor/writer Dan Bucatinsky.
Is or Isn’t Entertainment has garnered great success since its inception. The company’s first television series, HBO’s critically acclaimed The Comeback (2005), garnered three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including one for Kudrow for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
Who Do You Think You Are?, the second Is or Isn’t Entertainment series, documents the genealogy of a well-known public figure in each episode.
Is or Isn’t Entertainment also produces the critically acclaimed Web series Web Therapy, in which Kudrow stars as a therapist who conducts sessions with her clients via the Internet. The format of the show has been sold to and produced all over the world, including productions in Poland and Spain.
In 2009, Kudrow received a Webby Award for Outstanding Comedic Performance for her role in season one of Web Therapy. In 2010, the show won a Webby Award for Best Comedy: Long Form or Series, and the actress received a nomination for Best Individual Performance. In 2011, Kudrow won a Webby Award for Best Individual Performance, and Web Therapy won for Best Comedy: Long Form or Series. Web Therapy was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2012 for Outstanding Special Class–Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Programs and, in the same year, received a nomination from the Producers Guild of America for Outstanding Web Series.
In 2015, Kudrow received another Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series on behalf of her role in The Comeback.
FILMMAKERS
NICHOLAS STOLLER is a director, writer and producer of intelligent, character-driven comedies that sometimes feature wiener.
Most recently, Stoller directed the hit comedy blockbuster Neighbors, which starred Zac Efron, Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne for Universal Pictures and earned over $270 million worldwide.
Stoller’s upcoming film projects include Storks, an animated film Stoller wrote, produced and co-directed, and which will be released by Warner Bros. on September 23; and the animated feature adaptation of Captain Underpants for DreamWorks, which Stoller is writing. For television, Stoller co-wrote and is an executive producer working on the second season of The Carmichael Show and is an executive producer on Fox’s new hit comedy series The Grinder, which stars Fred Savage and Rob Lowe.
Stoller co-wrote The Five-Year Engagement with collaborator and star Jason Segel, which Universal Pictures released in April 2012. The film, which Stoller produced alongside Rodney Rothman and Apatow Productions, tells the story of the ups and downs of a man’s five-year engagement with his fiancée (Emily Blunt).
Stoller previously teamed with Segel to write and executive produce James Bobin’s The Muppets for Walt Disney Pictures. The critically acclaimed film, which starred Segel and Amy Adams, received an Academy Award® for Best Original Song and won the Critics’ Choice Movie Award in the same category. The Muppets grossed more than $165 million at the worldwide box office. He then went on to write and executive produce its sequel, Muppets Most Wanted.
Stoller made his directorial debut with the comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which starred Segel, Mila Kunis, Jonah Hill, Kristen Bell, Bill Hader and Russell Brand. The film was produced by Apatow Productions and grossed more than $105 million worldwide. Stoller went on to make Get Him to the Greek, which he wrote, directed and produced. Hill and Brand reprised their Forgetting Sarah Marshall roles, as Hill’s character struggles to escort rock star Aldous Snow (Brand) from London to Los Angeles for a comeback tour that begins at the Greek Theatre. Universal Pictures released the film in June 2010.
Additionally, Stoller wrote the smash hit Yes Man, which starred Jim Carrey as a man who turns his life around by saying “yes” to every opportunity, as well as a modern reimagining of Gulliver’s Travels, which starred Jack Black and Blunt.
Stoller’s first job in the entertainment industry was comedy writing for Judd Apatow’s celebrated FOX television series Undeclared. Segel and Stoller met during the show and hit it off upon discovering a shared love for painful, heart-wrenching comedy. Stoller made the transition to screenwriting doing rewrites and co-writing numerous projects with Apatow, including Carrey’s vehicle Fun With Dick and Jane.
Stoller, a Harvard alumnus who wrote for The Harvard Lampoon, was born in London, England, and raised in Miami. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Francesca, and their daughters, Penelope and Frederica.
ANDREW JAY COHEN (Written by/Based on Characters Created by/Executive Producer) recently made his feature film directorial debut with The House, which will star Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler, and which he also co-wrote and produced. Cohen also co-wrote and executive produced the upcoming Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates and co-created the original Neighbors, both starring Efron. Cohen also served as 2nd unit director, co-writer and executive producer on the first Neighbors.
Cohen studied film at Yale University and got his start in the film industry working at Creative Artists Agency. While working for a television agent, Cohen wrote and directed spec commercials and short films in his free time. One of them caught the eye of director Adrian Lyne, who hired Cohen as his assistant on Unfaithful. Cohen went on to work alongside Judd Apatow for many years—first as Apatow’s assistant on Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, then as associate producer on The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby; and alongside his longtime writing/producing partner Brendan O’Brien, as co-producer on Funny People.
BRENDAN O’BRIEN (Written by/Based on Characters Created by/Executive Producer) is a feature comedy screenwriter and producer. A graduate of Georgetown University, O’Brien worked on The 40-Year-Old Virgin and was a co-producer on Judd Apatow’s Funny People. O’Brien co-wrote and executive produced the 2014 hit film Neighbors (Universal Pictures/Good Universe), which starred Seth Rogen and Zac Efron and went on to gross over $270 million worldwide. He also co-wrote and executive produced the upcoming Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (Fox/Chernin Group), which stars Efron, Adam Devine, Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza. Most recently, O’Brien co-wrote and produced The House (New Line/Good Universe/Gary Sanchez Productions), which stars Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler. The House is scheduled to be released in June 2017.
EVAN GOLDBERG (Written by/Produced by) is a Canadian director, screenwriter and producer. Goldberg has collaborated with his childhood friend Seth Rogen on the films Superbad (which they first conceived as teenagers), Knocked Up, Pineapple Express, The Green Hornet and Funny People. The duo has also written for Da Ali G Show and The Simpsons.
Next up, Point Grey’s first television show, Preacher, based on the popular graphic novel series by Garth Ennis, will premiere on AMC on May 22nd. Goldberg and Rogen directed the pilot and the second episode.
In 2013, Goldberg and Rogen released their directorial debut, This Is the End.
In December 2014, Rogen and Goldberg’s film The Interview became the world’s most-talked-about news story–on or off the entertainment page. In extremely difficult circumstances, the film persevered to become Sony Pictures’ no. 1 digital title of all time.
Goldberg is also in production on Sausage Party, a raunchy animated movie for adults about one sausage’s quest to discover the truth about his existence. Goldberg is producing the film with Rogen, Megan Ellison and Conrad Vernon. Sausage Party is slated for release on August 12th.
Goldberg was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and attended McGill University.
JAMES WEAVER (Produced by) is president of Point Grey Pictures, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s production company. With Rogen and Goldberg, Weaver most recently produced Jonathan Levine’s The Night Before and Rogen and Goldberg’s The Interview.
Currently, Point Grey is in post-production on James Franco’s The Disaster Artist, which Franco stars in alongside his brother, Dave Franco. For Hulu, Point Grey is prepping the pilot Future Man, which will star Josh Hutcherson and be directed by Rogen and Goldberg.
Weaver also produced Neighbors, which grossed over $270 million worldwide and This Is the End, which grossed over $125 million worldwide. Up next is Sausage Party, Point Grey’s first foray into animation.
Weaver first met Rogen and Goldberg while working at United Talent Agency (UTA). He went on to serve as associate producer on 50/50.
NATHAN KAHANE (Executive Producer) is co-founder of Good Universe, a leading motion picture financing, production and global sales company. Kahane oversees the development and production of the company’s feature slate, nurtures relationships with filmmakers and consistently puts together winning business models behind compelling films.
Kahane is shepherding Good Universe’s growing slate, which includes The House, starring Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler for New Line; the romantic drama Forever Interrupted, with Gidden Media, starring Dakota Johnson; and the sci-fi thriller Extinction, to be directed by Joe Johnston, written by Spenser Cohen and produced by David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman. Previous productions include such hits as Neighbors, which grossed more than $270 million worldwide and was 2014’s biggest original comedy; and Last Vegas, which featured the Academy Award®-winning cast of Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline.
Kahane oversees the company’s first-look deal with longtime collaborators Point Grey Pictures, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s production company run by James Weaver. Upcoming projects include the Untitled Ben Schwartz Comedy, with Gary Sanchez Productions to be directed by Adam McKay and starring Rogen; New Line Cinema’s The Disaster Artist, directed by and starring James Franco from a script by Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber; and the Untitled Zach Galifianakis/Bill Hader/Seth Rogen R-Rated Comedy, written and directed by Rodney Rothman for Universal Pictures.
Kahane is also a partner with Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Joe Drake in Ghost House Pictures, a leader in the horror-thriller genre with seven no. 1 box-office hits, which include The Grudge and Evil Dead for Sony Pictures. Ghost House’s upcoming slate includes Fede Alvarez’s Don’t Breathe for Sony Pictures and the live-action adaptation of the videogame The Last of Us for Screen Gems.
In his former role as president of Mandate Pictures, Kahane’s commitment to producing smartly budgeted quality films generated such hits as the $227 million worldwide box-office sensation Juno, which won an Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay and three additional Academy Award® nominations; two Harold & Kumar movies; the Golden Globe Award-nominated and Independent Spirit Award-winning comedy 50/50; the Golden Globe Award-nominated comedy Young Adult, directed by Jason Reitman; the Golden Globe Award-nominated Hope Springs, which starred Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carell and the Rogen/Goldberg breakout comedy This Is the End, which starred Rogen, Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson and Danny McBride.
JOE DRAKE (Executive Producer) is co-founder of Good Universe, a leading motion picture financing, production and global sales company. Drake shepherds the company’s overall business and is responsible for building key financial, creative and strategic partnerships.
Good Universe’s current slate includes The House, which stars Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler for New Line Cinema’s and the sci-fi thriller Extinction to be directed by Joe Johnston. Previous productions include such hits as Neighbors–2014’s highest-grossing original comedy, and Last Vegas which featured the Academy Award®-winning cast of Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline.
On the back of three successful collaborations (Neighbors, This Is the End, 50/50), Good Universe concluded a partnership with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Point Grey Pictures to produce and finance mainstream comedies such as the upcoming Untitled Zach Galifianakis/Bill Hader/Seth Rogen R-Rated Comedy for Universal Pictures and James Franco’s The Disaster Artist for New Line.
Drake is also a partner with Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Nathan Kahane in Ghost House Pictures, a leader in the horror-thriller genre with seven no. 1 box-office hits including The Grudge and Evil Dead. The current slate includes Fede Alvarez’s buzz-worthy thriller Don’t Breathe, which premiered at SXSW and will be released by Sony Pictures this summer.
Prior to Good Universe, Drake served as president of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group and co-chief operating officer of Lionsgate Entertainment, where he pioneered the company’s franchise by building a strategy that resulted in the global juggernaut The Hunger Games and the worldwide box-office hit The Expendables. Under his tenure, the Motion Picture Group added more than $1 billion in value to Lionsgate.
Prior to Lionsgate, Drake founded Mandate Pictures (following a management buyout of Senator International), which produced the Academy Award®-winning Juno, a global box-office success, and other hits, including Hope Springs, which starred Meryl Streep.
TED GIDLOW (Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager) is an independent line producer, unit production manager and a member of the Directors Guild of America and the Producers Guild of America.
Executive producing credits include Love the Coopers, Good Kill, The DUFF, Walk of Shame, Stand Up Guys, Gone and The Lincoln Lawyer. Gidlow has worked as a unit production manager on The Ugly Truth, Untraceable, Gamer and Extraordinary Measures.
Gidlow has a degree in International Relations from Boston University.
BRANDON TROST (Director of Photography) is a fourth-generation filmmaker raised on movie sets. Trost started his career as a very young assistant to his father, Ron, a special effects craftsman. After years of learning the intricacies of filmmaking and developing an appreciation for the look of film and the art of cinematography, Trost enrolled in The Los Angeles Film School, where he developed a personal style and esthetic. Under the tutelage of Academy Award®-nominated cinematographers, including William A. Fraker, Ralf D. Bode and John A. Alonzo, Trost quickly gained extensive experience shooting in all formats.
Today, with more than 30 feature films, dozens of music videos and over 100 short films to his credit, Trost continues to push the boundaries of film. Recent films shot during his still-young and varied career include Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor’s Crank: High Voltage and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance; Rob Zombie’s Halloween II and The Lords of Salem; Jorma Taccone’s MacGruber; Sean Anders’ That’s My Boy, which starred Adam Sandler; Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s This Is the End and The Interview; Jonathan Levine’s The Night Before; Nicholas Stoller’s Neighbors; Taccone and Akiva Schaffer’s Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping; and Marielle Heller’s The Diary of a Teenage Girl, for which he won the Cinematography Award at the Sundance Film Festival.
THERESA GULESARIAN (Production Designer) points to her education in Traditional Animation as the basis for her love and understanding of cinematic design; she pursued that interest with a master’s degree in Production Design from the American Film Institute where she studied under the late-great Robert Boyle. Her film history is multi-platformed across film, television and commercials where her frequent collaborators are Mark and Jay Duplass (HBO’s Togetherness, The One I Love, The Overnight). When asked what her favorite film is she will either say The Princess Bride or All That Jazz, depending on the day.
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising marks ZENE BAKER’s (Editor) second collaboration with director Nicholas Stoller. Their first was the wildly successful Neighbors, which starred Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne and Zac Efron.
Other credits include Jonathan Levine’s The Night Before, which starred Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anthony Mackie; The Interview, which starred Rogen and James Franco; This Is the End, which starred Franco, Danny McBride, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson and Rogen; and Levine’s 50/50, which starred Gordon-Levitt and Anna Kendrick and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, which starred Steve Carell and Keira Knightley.
Baker has a long-standing collaboration with writer/director Jody Hill and has worked with him on the comedies Observe and Report and The Foot Fist Way.
Baker garnered attention from the industry for editing a trio of feature films directed by David Gordon Green: the award-winning George Washington, All the Real Girls and Undertow.
LEESA EVANS (Costume Designer) is a true purveyor of style. From her work as a costume designer for film to her dedication as a private stylist for celebrities and professional clients alike, Evans’ personal philosophy and professional inspiration are drawn from a lifelong commitment to fashion, individuality and the art of storytelling.
Raised in Laguna Beach, California, the daughter of a couture designer with retail stores in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, Evans grew up in and around the fashion industry. She spent her formative years at runway shows, mingling with the socialites, politicians’ wives and rock stars for whom her mother designed. It was here that Evans experienced firsthand the intricacies of the fashion world. She went on to spend the first part of her career working alongside her mother, gaining extensive experience in clothing design and manufacturing as well as the retail industry.
However, once Evans was given the opportunity to work with a costume designer in 1989, she found her true calling. Since then, she has dedicated herself to the craft of costume design and styling for film, commercial advertising and celebrities. Her work gives her the ability to nurture her own passion for fabric, color and design, while simultaneously instilling a sense of confidence, ownership and originality in every actor and private client she dresses.
Evans shares: “I love to create the feeling of confidence when dressing someone, whether it’s a character who needs to exude authority and influence, or an individual I’m working with one-on-one who wants to be more confident. It delights me to know I’ve helped someone feel amazing in their life.”
Evans has worked on over 25 films, including Bridesmaids, for which she was nominated for a Costume Designers Guild Award for Excellence in Contemporary Film; Trainwreck, which starred Amy Schumer and Bill Hader; Zoolander 2, which starred Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson; Neighbors, which starred Seth Rogen and Zac Efron; 22 Jump Street, which starred Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill; Get Him to the Greek; I Love You, Man; Forgetting Sarah Marshall; This Is 40 and Scooby-Doo, among many others. She has more than 500 television commercials under her belt for clients including Coca-Cola, AT&T, Verizon, HP, Samsung, General Motors, Ford Motor Company, MasterCard, Porsche and Kellogg’s, among countless others.
Evans’ work with celebrities has been seen in such illustrious publications as Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, People, Nylon and InStyle, as well as on the red carpets of events from the Academy Awards® to the Grammy Awards.
Evans is based in New York and Los Angeles but leaves clients self-assured and well-styled wherever her work takes her.
It is difficult to effectively qualify the many talents of MICHAEL ANDREWS (Music by). Simply stated, Andrews is a music maker. He is equally comfortable in the roles of composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. He has scored cool indie and art house films, big-budget studio productions, network television shows and animated shorts. Andrews has performed and recorded music with some of today’s most successful artists but prefers helping to shape and define the careers of people that you’ve probably never heard of. In the last ten years or so Mike has humbly assembled a body of work that includes more than 40 different projects in as many different fields including most recently a collection of heartbreaking original songs, entitled “Hand On String.” In an industry where the quality of one’s work is often measured by the girth of their celebrity, you might be pleasantly surprised to find that if Andrews’ name is not yet familiar to you, his uniquely beautiful music just might be.
Andrews wrote and performed the original score music for Miranda July’s Caméra d’or (Cannes) award-winning film Me and You and Everyone We Know. He composed score music for Donnie Darko, including the celebrated cover of Tears for Fears’ “Mad World,” which became the U.K.’s Christmas no. 1 single in 2003. He scored Orange County, Cypher and Nothing and co-scored Zero Effect. Andrews’ television credits include Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, Wonderfalls and Dead Last. Andrews is responsible for the music on animated installations of renowned graphic artist Geoff McFetridge. He has produced records with Inara George, Brendan Benson, DJ Greyboy and Metric. Andrews was a founding member of The Greyboy Allstars, Elgin Park and The Origin. Though his musical accomplishments quietly span the broad gamut of contemporary media, industry and genre, the music itself is always intensely personal, weird yet accessible, funny and sad, thoughtful and intimate, all the while wholly and ironically human.
As a score composer, Andrews has an eerie knack for understanding the subtleties of a given character; he exposes that character’s emotional inner workings, illuminates the abstract and gives voice to the real person beneath the facade. He does the same with musicians that he works with, encouraging them to make it that personal, that honest. His own solo work as a singer and songwriter reflect the same humble focused integrity. The love, loss, fear, hope and pain in “Hand On String” are all real, all his, and he approaches them with the same stark, at times unnerving, honesty exemplified by everything in his heroically and resolutely obscure professional career.
Andrews neither reads nor writes music. He has never formally studied any of the various instruments that he plays, much less music theory, composition, arrangement, orchestration or production. Instead, he continues to straddle all superficial boundaries of genre and media, as well as their respective subdivisions, with music that comes unobstructed from the heart of a normal person who is paying very close, thoughtful attention.
Fittingly, Andrews’ favorite quote about his music comes not from a DJ, celebrity, music magazine or industry rag, but from a fan who posted on Amazon.com: “It’s the kind of music that gets you to thinking how miraculous it is to be alive, you know, like, ‘Hey, look at my hand and how all my fingers move when I want them to and what about all the blood that’s flowing through my body right now and what was the world like before I existed and what will it be like when I’m gone.’”
Today, Andrews continues to toil away on projects big and small in the backyard studio that he built from the ground up, surrounded by an eclectic collection of instruments, toys and recording gizmos amassed from two decades of obsessively combing classified ads, garage sales and junk shops. Recent projects include the feature films Daddy’s Home, directed by Sean Anders and Dirty Grandpa, directed by Dan Mazar, as well as musical collaborations with Van Dyke Parks (Brian Wilson, Randy Newman, Arlo Guthrie, Ry Cooder, Phil Ochs, Rufus Wainwright), Inara George Los Angeles indie artist Becky Stark and her band Lavender Diamond.
Share this:
