Breaking: ‘Superbad’ Director Greg Mottola Is Not Judd Apatow

Great news for Greg Mottola: Superbad, the greatest film since the invention of the motion camera, looks to be box-office smash. The bad news: Everyone thinks Judd Apatow directed it. “Some of my friends said I should get a publicist just to tell people that I directed the movie, because I’m not getting any credit,� Mottola told us yesterday. “It was just surreal at Comic-Con in San Diego. I was on the panel, but all the questions were going to Judd. But he was very quick to let the fanboys know who directed the movie and that he was hands-off for most of the shoot.�

Mottola directed episodes of Apatow’s short-lived TV series Undeclared before convincing him he was the man to direct the teenage penis comedy. Granted, working in Apatow’s shadow has given him the biggest break of his career, but at a huge price: “It’s totally freaky to me,� he said. “I’m just used to nothing but bad news. This is really new for me. I can’t complain.� Well, he could, but no one would listen. —Steve Ramos