Seth Rogen has essentially said “never say never” to Pineapple Express 2, but could it be the film so nice they made it twice? In short, don’t hold your breath.
Pineapple Express is to 4/20 what Home Alone is to Christmas. The 2008 movie written by Rogen and Evan Goldberg sees process server Dale Denton (Rogen) and his weed dealer (James Franco) go on the run after accidentally witnessing a murder.
It’s stoner humor at its finest, and there have been talks of a sequel ever since. During Rogen’s recent appearance on the Watch What Happens Live podcast, one fan took the opportunity to ask if Pineapple Express 2 could go ahead.
“Maybe. We can probably sell it to streaming or something,” he said. When host Andy Cohen said there’s “big demand” for it, Rogen added, “There could be. You never know. I don’t know. I’m not great with sequels. It’s not where my mind goes, but maybe one day.”
Why Pineapple Express 2 wouldn’t work
Not only is Rogen himself not too passionate about reviving the comedy classic, but there’s another reason we won’t be seeing a sequel anytime soon: his falling out with James Franco.
Franco played Dale’s laid-back weed dealer Saul, and it’s their double act that makes the movie so memorable. However, following multiple sexual misconduct allegations made against Franco in 2018, Rogen publicly distanced himself from his longtime collaborator.
In 2021, Charlyne Yi – Franco’s co-star in a 2017 movie Rogen co-produced – accused Franco of being a “sexual predator” and Rogen of being an “enabler”.
When asked about this by The Sunday Times, Rogen replied, “I despise abuse and harassment and I would never cover or conceal the actions of someone doing it, or knowingly put someone in a situation where they were around someone like that.
“However, I do look back at a joke I made on Saturday Night Live in 2014 and I very much regret making that joke. It was a terrible joke, honestly.
“I also look back to that interview in 2018 where I comment that I would keep working with James, and the truth is that I have not and I do not plan to right now.”
He said that while the impact it’s had on their friendship is painful, it’s “not as painful and difficult as it is for a lot of other people involved,” adding, “I have no pity for myself in this situation.”
Last year, Franco confirmed that the friendship is over, telling Variety, “I haven’t talked to Seth. I love Seth, we had 20 great years together, but I guess it’s over. And not for lack of trying. I’ve told him how much he’s meant to me.”
Prior to their falling out, Rogen did pitch a Pineapple Express sequel to Sony, but it got shut down by the studio due to budget concerns at the time.
But even if, say, Disney or Netflix came calling, it would be a very different movie without the duo who headlined the original.
La friggitrice ad aria ha la sua valigia: mai senza quando si va in vacanza