All day yesterday, the two studios behind this summer’s big R-rated hits — Bridesmaids (Universal) and Horrible Bosses (New Line) — were locked in a heated bidding war over a pitch featuring Apatow pupil Seth Rogen and High School Musical graduate Zac Efron. Ultimately Universal inked the seven-figure deal with writers Andrew Cohen and Brendan O’Brien, and, according to Deadline, Rogen — who is also producing the movie — stands to earn close to $10 million.
Variety, which along with Deadline reported on the deal, claimed that “plot details are being kept under wraps,†but seems like Nikki Finke has her ear right up to the negotiation room doors. Describing its tone as similar to that of Old School, Finke lays out the basics:
Rogen plays a regular guy who lives near an alpha male fraternity house. Efron is a member of the fraternity, whose raucous behavior wreaks havoc on the other guy’s family life.
Honestly, that does sound quite a bit like Old School, with maybe some Animal House and Van Wilder thrown in. Now to see if Universal’s bet is right: that frat humor still has some mileage left in it and that the R-rated money pump is far from dried out.
Universal Lands 7-Figure Pitch Deal For R-Rated Seth Rogen-Zac Efron Comedy [Deadline]