2016-05-29

Production Information

Returning stars SETH ROGEN (The Night Before), ZAC EFRON (Dirty Grandpa) and ROSE BYRNE (Spy) are joined by CHLOË GRACE MORETZ (The Equalizer) for Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, the follow-up to 2014’s most popular original comedy.  NICHOLAS STOLLER (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) again directs in a film that follows what happens when the will of parenthood goes against the bonds of sisterhood.

Now that Mac (Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Byrne) have a second baby on the way, they are ready to make the final move into adulthood: the suburbs.  But just as they thought they’d reclaimed the neighborhood and were safe to sell, they learn that the new occupants next door are a sorority even more out of control than Teddy (Efron) and his brothers ever dreamed of being.

Tired of their school’s sexist, restrictive system, the unorthodox ladies of Kappa Nu have decided to start a house where they can do whatever the hell they want.  When Shelby (Moretz) and her sisters, Beth (KIERSEY CLEMONS of Amazon’s Transparent) and Nora (BEANIE FELDSTEIN of Fan Girl), find the perfect place just off campus, they won’t let the fact that it’s located on a quiet street stand in their way of parties as epic as the guys throw.

Forced to turn to the one ex-neighbor with the skills to bring down the new Greeks next door, the Radners—alongside best friends Jimmy (IKE BARINHOLTZ of upcoming Suicide Squad) and Paula (CARLA GALLO of Superbad)—bring in charismatic Teddy (Efron) as their secret weapon.  If he can infiltrate the sorority and charm his way through it, the thirtysomethings will shutter the Kappa’s home.  But if they think that their neighbors are going down without a fight, they have severely underestimated the power of youthful ingenuity and straight-up crazy.

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising includes the return of a terrific supporting cast led by DAVE FRANCO (21 Jump Street), CHRISTOPHER MINTZ-PLASSE (This Is the End) and JERROD CARMICHAEL (The Carmichael Show) as the brothers of Delta Psi, as well as featured favorite LISA KUDROW (Web Therapy) as Dean Carol Gladstone.

For the comedy, the filmmakers have assembled a behind-the-scenes crew of returning artists and those new to the company.  They are led by cinematographer BRANDON TROST (This Is the End, The Interview), production designer THERESA GULESERIAN (Togetherness, Before We Go), editor ZENE BAKER (The Interview, This Is the End), costume designer LEESA EVANS (Zoolander 2, Trainwreck) and composer MICHAEL ANDREWS (Bridesmaids, Neighbors).

Also back in the same duties are series producers EVAN GOLDBERG (This Is the End, The Interview), JAMES WEAVER (This Is the End, The Interview) and Rogen, who produce under their Point Grey Pictures banner.

Based on characters created by Neighbors’ ANDREW JAY COHEN & BRENDAN O’BRIEN, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising is written by Cohen & O’Brien & Stoller & Goldberg & Rogen.

Good Universe’s NATHAN KAHANE (Juno) and JOE DRAKE (The Hunger Games series) return to the series as executive producers alongside TED GIDLOW (The DUFF), Cohen and O’Brien.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Same Neighborhood, Nu Rules:

Neighbors Returns

Released in 2014, the original comedy Neighbors struck a chord with audiences who enjoyed the film’s tale of the uproarious battle between a young couple and the fraternity that moved in next door.  Naturally, the film’s hearty box-office and critical acclaim spawned discussions of a follow-up between its creators—director Nicholas Stoller and producers Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver.

Determined not to suffer the same fate as the trite comedy sequels of the past—ones that ended up as overstuffed re-hashings of the originals—the team underscored that bigger doesn’t mean better.  Comments Rogen, who stars in and produces the film: “The conversation wasn’t how to escalate it; that’s where a lot of sequels go wrong.  It was how to evolve it.  We weren’t trying to add more and make a bigger version of the first; we wanted to explore what the next thing was that would happen in these people’s lives.”

In an effort to avoid the pitfalls and tropes of sequels gone wrong, the creative team extensively researched sequels they felt had parallel themes and found their greatest inspiration from a surprising source.  Notes Stoller: “This is like a gross R-rated dirty disgusting Toy Story…but Toy Story nonetheless.  It’s about growing up, getting older, and what is both funny and bittersweet about that process…and how it relates to every character in the movie.”

A few years after taking down the frat that moved in next door, reformed partyers Mac and Kelly find themselves entering a new phase of life.  With baby no. 2 on the way, the couple is preparing to move their growing family out of the college town and head toward the last bastion of full-blown adulthood.

Now that Stella (ELISE VARGAS) is entering the phase in which toddlers discover the power of the word “no!”, Mac and Kelly are faced with the notion that their beautiful daughter will one day grow to become a rebellious teen and look at them with the same disdain for adults that they once did.  Sums Stoller: “The film is about the terror and fear all parents feel that they are doing a bad job as parents and that one day their kid’s going to hate them.”

It was this duality of purpose that appealed to the team.  Says Rogen: “The first film dealt with not wanting to accept the idea of growing up and still having the desire to party and act immature.  In this one they’ve accepted that they’ve grown up, but don’t want to accept that their kids are going to grow up and eventually dislike them.  While the first one was about Mac and Kelly wanting to still be kids, this one is about them trying to control a kid.”

For the Radners’ former neighbor, Teddy Sanders, time has proven to be somewhat unforgiving.  After taking the fall for Delta Psi and his resulting expulsion, Teddy is stuck in a meaningless retail job without any sense of purpose or direction.

With his frat buddies settling into their adult lives and establishing themselves both professionally and personally, Teddy is becoming increasingly aware that he might be left behind.  “Teddy is in somewhat of a fragile state,” explains Efron.  “He is on the brink of a new phase of life and is having a quarter-life crisis.  All his old Delta Psi brothers have gone on and accomplished things, and he is stagnant and not progressing in the world.”

While Teddy is slowly unraveling and questioning how to put his very specific (and seemingly useless) skill set to good use, Mac and Kelly are preparing for their next big step.  With a buyer locked in and the 30-day escrow period underway, lightning strikes again when a new tenant moves into the old Delta Psi house.  Explains Rose Byrne: “Mac and Kelly are trying to move further into their domesticity; and lo and behold, a sorority moves in next door.  They are faced with the possibility that they might lose both the house they’re selling and the house they bought, so the stakes are high.”

The sorority serves as a cruel reminder of Mac and Kelly’s worst fear: the eventuality that their daughter will one day grow up to hate them.  Explains Rogen: “We’ve accepted that we’ve grown up but don’t want to accept that our kids are going to grow up, start to dislike us and ultimately become the girls next door.”

While developing the project, numerous story ideas and scenarios were bandied about (Delta Psi returns years later!  There’s a mythological party dorm called Dormopolis!), the creative team ultimately landed on the idea of a hard-partying sorority moving into the vacant house next door.  It was then that they made a surprising discovery.  “Someone in our office was in a sorority and overheard us talking about the idea of a hard-partying sorority moving in next door,” recalls Rogen.  “She offhandedly mentioned that they actually aren’t allowed to throw parties.  Once we looked it up, we found that it was true it gave us the idea for the whole storyline.”

In fact, a little Googling dug up the fact that Greek letter sororities are barred from serving alcohol at their residences.  With the discovery of this glaring gender inequality, the filmmakers had stumbled on an interesting issue that broadened the scope of the Neighbors universe.  “When we started researching how sororities work, we were shocked at how sexist the system was,” says Evan Goldberg.  “Seth and I are from Canada and assumed that they threw parties just like the frats did.  We knew that having a feminist undertone and storyline would make the movie a lot more interesting.”

Of course, the girls arriving at the film’s college, Braxton, were ready to taste the storied college culture—away from the eyes of their parents and restrictions of high school life.  Once they grasped the reality that they couldn’t throw-down as hard as the boys, they found an ideal worth fighting for.  Any self-respecting girl has to fight for her right to party.

With one house desperate to make it through escrow and another desperate to start a legacy outside a male-oriented system, things quickly escalate and Teddy is stuck in between.  As the girls’ tactics get more and more ruthless, our hero is forced to choose between the Greeks and a system he once loved…or switch sides to bring the sorority down.

The creators of the first film’s characters, Andrew Jay Cohen & Brendan O’Brien, are joined by Rogen, Weaver and Stoller in screenplay duties on the second comedy.  Together, they imagined Mac and Kelly going head to head with a group of empowered young women attempting to challenge a sexist system.

On some level, the nobility of the sorority’s cause allows them to be more vicious and blurs the lines of just who the villains are.  “The Kappa Nu girls have a much clearer vision and much more of a just goal this time around,” says Rogen.  “It is said that the best villains are sympathetic.  Because of that, the girls are able to go much further and are a lot scarier than the Delta Psi guys ever were.”

As is true in times of war, ethics are put to the test when fighting for progress and change on the path to righteousness.  States Stoller: “What the girls want to do is oddly a valiant and noble pursuit.  So even as they’re being despicable to Mac and Kelly, you’re kind of rooting for them to succeed because they’re fighting the system.”

It was crucial to the creative team that these be real characters, not just punchlines.  The women of Kappa Nu are fighting for something they really believe in.  The ideas explored through the scope of the characters address how women are usually portrayed in the genre, and this comedy does its part to level the playing field.  In the Neighbors universe, the women are liberated and free enough to have fun at their own expense…just like the guys.

“One of the running jokes in the movie is we have a lot of pretty dim-witted characters debating the rules of feminism,” says Stoller.  “It’s kind of feminist to be able to act like an idiot, which is also a comment on how a lot of comedies don’t usually allow women to be idiots the way men are.”Recruits and Rulebreakers:

Casting the Comedy

Swing by any college campus across America during rush week and legions of wide-eyed freshman may be seen surveying the options available.  For Braxton freshman Shelby, the promise of joining a sorority and partaking in the epic social life she’s been preparing for is quickly deflated after visiting Phi Lambda, the campus’s most popular house.

Shelby unceremoniously lights a joint at their rush event and learns the cold hard truth: Rules dictate that partying can only take place at fraternities.  “Shelby went to college hoping to be finally free from the shackles of her high-school life and parents,” states Rogen, “only to find that it was ultimately a very controlled system without any freedom.”

The activist freshman admittedly didn’t have a lot of close friends in high school, and now that Shelby has found sisters in Beth and Nora, they decide to take matters into their own hands and start an off-campus sorority.  Kappa Nu is extremely important to them, and it will be a sorority without rules and free of all the sexist tropes; it will serve as a non-exclusive organization open to whomever wants to join.  Girls can be who they are, define themselves and participate on their own terms—free from required approval or validation.  For Shelby and the girls of Kappa Nu, #girlpower starts now.

With the trifecta of Rogen, Efron and Byrne set to return, the filmmaking team began the search for an actress to play the fearless, passionate and ruthless leader of Kappa Nu.  The role went to Chloë Grace Moretz, whose fierce intelligence and impressive work in film and television made her perfect for the role.  “Chloë is only 19 but is wise beyond her years,” lauds Stoller.  “She has a similar energy to Zac as a result of her extensive experience in intense dramatic and action movies.  She brings intensity to the role and, although we were shooting a comedy, she was always very present and intense…in addition to being hysterical.”

An exceptional athlete throughout high school, Shelby brings the fierce intensity required in sports to her cause and has no qualms about doing what it takes to protect the principles behind Kappa Nu.  Moretz appreciated the heroine’s strength and was excited for the opportunity to play such a strong female character.  “Shelby knows how to go after something and has insane tenacity,” the actress says. “She is definitely empowered, is not afraid to say, ‘No’ to someone and doesn’t let herself be pushed over by anyone, male or female.”

The role provided Moretz with the opportunity to test her skills in the world of improv-heavy comedy.  “It was different for me because most of the other movies I’ve done have been dramatic pieces and took a much different approach,” states Moretz.  “On this set, we were encouraged to mess around with the lines and to go off book.  I was able to be a total ham and get away with it…instead of having to hide my ‘hammy’-ness.”

While rushing Phi Lambda, Shelby meets Beth and Nora, who are equally as appalled by the sexist dynamics of typical Greek life and its exclusionary tactics—behaviors seemingly established to serve fraternities.  For Beth, who just got out of a long-term relationship, going to college provided the opportunity for her to explore her burgeoning sexuality.

Introduced to audiences in the breakout film Dope, actress Kiersey Clemons was drawn to the film’s themes of empowerment.  She appreciated Beth’s good nature and journey of self-discovery.  “Beth is a people pleaser and trying to figure herself out,” says Clemons.  “She knows what’s right and wrong but still wants to learn and experience new things.”

Also on her own for the first time is Kappa Nu’s Nora, who has never experimented with drugs or alcohol before.  Actress Beanie Feldstein didn’t have a lot of experience to draw from for the character’s deep exploration into recreational drug use.  “I’ve been given the craziest stuff to do in this film and knew nothing about drugs, so much so that they had to teach me how to use a lighter,” laughs the actress.

A recent college graduate herself, Feldstein could relate to this stage of life and the bond shared among the girls.  “They’re just trying to figure it out and seeking comfort in each other,” she reflects.  “Shelby and Beth are both smoking, which leads Nora down a path.  It can be very scary to come to a new school in a new town where you don’t know anyone, so I get it—the wanting to have your thing with your own set of people at school.”

The young women of Kappa Nu formed a sisterly bond that was felt both on the set and off.  “It was so nice to work with a bunch of girls my age that are all talented and fun to be around outside of work,” commends Clemons.  “We’d have sleepovers and just talk about boys, give each other advice and do cheesy stuff that’s fun for girls our age.”

Whereas we met the brothers of Delta Psi just as they were closing out their college years and on the brink of adulthood, the young women of Kappa Nu are just getting started and feel relentless in their pursuits.  Offers Stoller: “The girls are around 18 as opposed to 22.  So putting aside even gender stuff, they’re crazier because that social and moral development isn’t yet there.”  The director laughs: “They have less morals and ethics when screwing with Mac and Kelly, and that makes this more of a horror movie this time around.”

The combination of their young age and the valiant nature of their agenda justifies the ruthlessness of Kappa Nu’s approach and tactics.  “The girls have a clearer vision and a much more righteous goal, and because of that fact go much further and are a lot scarier,” agrees Rogen.  “Personally, I’m much more afraid of Chloë, Kiersey and Beanie than I was of Zac, Dave, Jerrod and Chris.”

Returning as Teddy’s Delta Psi brothers, actors Dave Franco, Jerrod Carmichael and Christopher Mintz-Plasse reprise their roles as Pete, Garf and Scoonie, respectively.  While they remain close, the frat brothers have all begun making their mark in the world—well, with the exception of Teddy.  “You grow up, but you don’t necessarily grow apart,” offers Carmichael.  “They are still hanging out and still like each other, but you become an adult.  Unfortunately, Teddy is still trying to figure it out.”

For Franco, who returns as Teddy’s best friend, Pete, being back together with the same team was a welcome experience.  “The first movie was maybe the most fun I’ve ever had on set,” lauds Franco, “and to come back and work with these guys again was wonderful.  Because we all know and like each other, there was a comfort that allowed us to have more freedom to fall on our faces; that’s when the best stuff comes out.”

Also welcomed back to the Neighborhood are Mac and Kelly’s best friends, Jimmy and Paula—this time with greater participation in the plans to defeat the new Greeks.  “Jimmy and Paula are about to have their first child and are freaking out, similar to what Mac and Kelly were going through in the first one,” provides Rogen.  “They are still the same monsters they were the first time around…and are the grossest people ever.”

Director Stoller elaborates: “Jimmy and Paula are bored, just trying to relive their glory days and are around helping out Mac and Kelly.”

What they lack in intelligence, Jimmy and Paula make up for in commitment and intensity.   “Carla and I had such a fun time on the first one, and they have somehow found out a way to make us dumber in this one,” notes Barinholtz.  “While the theme of the film is moving into the next phase of life like Mac and Kelly are doing, Jimmy and Paula seems to have almost regressed.  Our characters are impervious to arcs because they are so dumb.”

Gallo admittedly has a soft spot in her heart for the vapid couple and, alongside Barinholtz, was excited to get back to her vacant, gum-chewing ways.  “It was ridiculously fun,” states the actress.  “Half the time we were just trying to make each other laugh.  My main goal with this film is that it’s good enough that we get to do five more.”

“Ike’s character says the most inappropriate things but does it with a certain charm where he can get away with it, and Carla is brilliant and such a hysterical comedienne,” lauds Byrne.  “She always finds the most strange and offbeat perspective of a scene and was just brilliant.”

Considered scene stealers by other cast members, the duo of Barinholtz and Gallo always provided the most laughs on set.  “You have to tune them out because the craziest stuff comes out of either of their mouths.  I broke constantly, more than I have on any other movie,” agrees Efron.

Also returning to the Neighbors universe is the stable of supporting characters that made an indelible mark on the rich landscape of characters introduced in the first film.  The list includes Lisa Kudrow as the unsympathetic Dean Gladstone, comedian HANNIBAL BURESS as one of Ardendale’s “finest,” LIZ CACKOWSKI as Wendy the Realtor and BRIAN HUSKY as Bill Wazakowski, Mac and Jimmy’s boss.

To fill out the cast of both new supporting characters and cameos, the filmmakers assembled a cast of some of the funniest actors working in comedy today.  “One of the things we learned from the first one was that it was valuable to cast every small role with the funniest person willing to do it,” explains Rogen.  “It worked brilliantly, and everyone provided us with something extremely funny.”

New to the world of R-rated comedies, actress and singer Selena Gomez was brought on for the role of the Phi Lambda president, the prissy sorority that Chloë, Beth and Nora initially rush upon arrival at college.  “The Phi Lambda president was written as the quintessential example of what the girls run up against,” states Weaver.  “We got to have fun with how beautiful and charming Selena is in a role that represents that over-the-top stereotypical sorority girl.”

“I was such a fan of the first film so it was a no-brainer for me,” provides Gomez.  “Comedy brings out this side of you where you are forced to be a little uncomfortable, but you have the best time.  You’re let loose and no one judges you.  I got to spend the day laughing with some of the most incredible comedians.”  She laughs: “My favorite piece of direction from Nick was ‘Smile…but be dead inside.’”

“Selena is one of my favorite cameos because I didn’t see it coming,” says Goldberg.  “She was funny, chill and a lot of fun to be around.  We only had her for a short time because of her schedule and had her do a ton of stuff; she was totally game.”

Sharing the Love:

Improv on the Set

With Stoller, Rogen and the majority of the cast back, the atmosphere on set felt less like work and more like a family reunion.  “Coming back and having the whole team together was one of the greatest experiences ever,” states Efron.  “Seeing the first movie do as well as it did made us so much more excited to return and hit it even harder.  We have all been that much more energized to make a great movie.”

The new characters and actors brought a new dynamic to the process.  “There’s a lot of new energy because of the addition of the girls; they made it equally as fun as the first,” adds Rogen.

Although any Nicholas Stoller film dictates that there will be a heavy dose of improv on set, the creative team worked diligently to craft a strong screenplay to provide a solid base for the storyline and thematics.  Says Rogen: “A script is like the worst-case scenario, and this script was something we spent a lot of time on.  But, it is impossible to predict if everything is going to work, and improv allows the actors to be organic and real in the moment.”

Stoller loves the collaboration among his cast and fellow producers.  He offers: “I’m always writing from behind the camera and like to do a ton of improv, and try a lot of things.  We have an amazing group of writers on this one who are hysterically funny and smart, and that allowed for us to do a lot of deeper story writing while shooting.”

The creative process established on set could be best described as an unconventional frenetic obstacle course of comedy filmmaking.  Among the actors, Stoller and the team of writers, all pistons were firing.  Armed with a stack of notebooks and paper at Video Village, the creative team of producers, writers and occasional talent—who were not in the scene—would jot down numerous ideas and jokes on paper as the scene was unfolding.  After a few takes, the stack of papers were run to Stoller on set, who would immediately sift through them to throw the lines and/or jokes to the actors.

This process continued throughout the day; watch…jot…run…laugh…repeat.  Compliments Weaver: “It was a very collaborative environment: one with Nick as the tip of the spear.  He is the most open and collaborative person, while having the entire movie in his head at all times.”

Reflects improv master Barinholtz: “Nick’s super funny, a great writer and constantly has hilarious lines.  He’s a great laugher, which is also important.  Whether you’re doing stand-up, UCB or a movie like this, if you have a good idea and a good handle of who the character is…it’s important to have a director who has the confidence to let you run with it.”

For the young actresses representing Kappa Nu, the affable dynamic on set and encouragement to improv allowed them to add their voices to the choir.  Recalls Moretz: “How can we have a social commentary on women within a movie written and created by a bunch of guys?  It was cool that these dudes laid down their armor and encouraged our jokes…and they wrote what we wanted them to write.”

Moretz is new to intense comedy improv, and she found it quite helpful to have the full support from her collaborators.  “Improv tests your writing and acting skills within the rights of your character,” she says.  “It’s rewarding and exciting when you get it right and can hear everyone laughing off-camera.”

For the returning cast, it was an opportunity to build on the trust and shorthand established during the first film.  Explains Byrne: “What makes this one stronger this time around is that we all know the strengths and chemistries of all the characters and players, and Nick has honed in on what works.  Every day on the set we would work hard to get the scene to where it should be.”

Rogen and Byrne had a fan in their characters’ former biggest nuisance. “Watching Seth and Rose banter back and forth, their chemistry was insane,” commends Efron.  “They are the funniest couple I’ve seen in a long time, and they make me want to be a parent.  Being in a scene with them was so fun that I was constantly breaking and laughing.”

Byrne is the first to admit that the new comedy was a welcome opportunity to work with Rogen once again.  She offers: “Seth is a comedy genius; it’s in his brain and how he sees every situation.  I follow his lead, but he’s very generous and never dominates a scene.  He does all the heavy lifting with our work.”

Regardless of whether or not he was on-screen on the shooting day, Rogen was a constant presence on the set in his role as producer.  “Seth had his eye on the ball and was there every day,” says Stoller.  I love working with him and feel like we’re strong creative partners along with Evan and James.  I’ve known him since he was 18, so I sometimes forget how much of a comedy genius he is.”

Barinholtz sums up the thoughts of the rest of the cast: “Seth is always five steps ahead of everyone.”  He pauses: “Working with him is like working with an incredibly smart Jewish teddy bear…who has marijuana smoke cascading off of his body.”

Back to the ’Hood:

Design, Locations and Shooting

With much of Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising again taking place between Mac and Kelly’s home and the Kappa Nu house, the production team geared up returning to the scene of the crime…sort of.   While the first film was lensed entirely in L.A. with two existing neighboring houses, the majority of filming this go-around took place between the same two neighboring houses in Atlanta, Georgia.  “It was interesting to produce a movie that is set in the same place, without filming it in the same place,” notes Weaver.  “So we’ve had to be creative with our choices.”

Production began in August 2015 and took place over a nine-week period with Atlanta filling in for Los Angeles filling in for the fictitious Ardendale.  Production designer Theresa Guleserian and her team were put to the task of re-creating both houses entirely on stage.  “The original interiors were not in neighboring homes, so the challenge was to find a way to put in the interiors and exteriors together so the characters could interact.  We had to redesign the schematics of the houses so that they could see in each other’s windows,” explains Guleserian.

The process took place over several months of construction and utilized three stages to build the various settings in and around both houses.  One stage housed the side exteriors and driveway between the houses—and almost the entire first floor of Mac and Kelly’s home.  The second stage housed the exterior and full first floor of the Kappa Nu house, where the girls host their epic parties and sorority meetings.  Finally, the third stage held the second-floor rooms of both homes: Mac and Kelly’s room, Stella’s room and Shelby’s room at Kappa Nu.

For continuity purposes, the art department was required to re-create and replicate even the smallest of details on the stage—down to matching the worn bricks, aged paint and driveway cracks.  “We shot the bulk of the schedule on stage, which influenced the level of commitment required for the houses,” explains the production designer.  “The trees were sourced to match the bark color, shape, texture, and fullness—since we would be filming a small portion of the film at the actual exterior location.”

At the end of the schedule, the company packed up everything and headed to Los Angeles for three days of shooting at the houses used in the first film.  That provided the shots needed for editor Zene Baker to create seamless edits on screen.

Both houses had several “modes” throughout the filming process (for sale/empty mode, party mode, ransacked mode, rush mode) that kept the art department busy with constant changeovers.  The interior of the old Delta Psi house was transformed into a more feminine space, a far cry from the abundance of phallic symbols and first-to-second floor bongs found when inhabited by the frat.

“We set out to feminize the house and tried to imagine how these young women with limited resources would decorate with what they might think is cool,” says Guleserian.  The result?  Less penis, more glittery mobiles, vintage furniture and a bunny wall.  And echoing Delta Psi’s party wall of fame is Kappa Nu’s shrine to powerful women like Serena Williams, Rhonda Rousey and silent actress Theda Bara.  “We called it the bad-bitch wall,” laughs Guleserian.

With potential financial ruin at risk for Mac and Kelly, and Kappa Nu fighting for equal party rights, each side was willing to do whatever it takes.  The result is more intense stunt sequences that included barbeque-grill jumping, car-windshield throws, dangerously clumsy minions and a return of the good-old airbag gag.  Offers Stoller: “It’s all pretty insane; we’re verging on Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin territory with this movie.”

The largest sequence orchestrated in the Neighbors universe thus far takes place at one of Ardendale’s Braxton University’s tailgate events.  To raise the rent required to keep their sorority house, the Kappa Nu girls cleverly ratted out all the local weed dealers and are selling the only weed available in the area at the school’s tailgate—naturally, at inflated prices.  Mac, Kelly, Teddy, Jimmy and Paula set out to steal the weed and shut them down, resulting in an extensive foot chase sequence through the raucous crowds of inebriated college revelers.

A self-professed expert at throwing fake parties, Stoller and cinematographer Brandon Trost pride themselves on upping the ante with the parties and visuals that represent contemporary college life.  “We had to push ourselves because the parties in the first movie looked so awesome,” notes Stoller.  “The tailgate is our first daytime party, and we had lots of barbeques with different-colored, disorienting, Mad-Max smoke.”

Shot over a four-day period, the tailgate sequence involved several hundred extras, a full marching band, special effects and a stunt sequence that felt much more Jason Bourne than Mac Radner.  “There’s a giant chase with numerous elements to it,” recalls Goldberg.  “We had people pole-vaulting using American flags, people running on barbeques, tackling each other and stealing things and a grand chase through dense smoke.  It was very exciting.

“Brandon has the job of delivering the familiarity of Neighbors, which people responded to the energies of the parties and how it was shot,” continues the producer.  “What he was tasked with on this one was to deliver the same feeling while adding the girls’ perspective and a wider scope.”

Moretz is no stranger to the action genre, and she was the first to jump into the fray.  “The tailgate was a gigantic action sequence, and we were all running around fighting while I was checking people like a linebacker,” she concludes.  “All of our greatest instincts and fighting abilities came out in that moment, and it got pretty intense.”

****

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.  www.neighbors-movie.com

ABOUT 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.

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.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

NICHOLAS STOLLER (Directed by/Written by) 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 an

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