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Apatow Productions, or simply, The Apatow Company is an American film/television production company founded by Judd Apatow in 1999. Actors Seth Rogen, Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, Steve Carell, Justin Long, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Aziz Ansari, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Chris Parnell, Harold Ramis, Craig Robinson, Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Brian Huskey, David Koechner, Samm Levine, Gary Cole, Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Leslie Mann, Jane Lynch, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jason Segel, Martin Starr, Russell Brand, Danny R. McBride, and Bill Hader have risen to fame by starring in films and television series under the Apatow banner.

Judd Apatow founded the company in 1999 and began working in television. After a series of short-lived but critically-acclaimed television series, Apatow Productions ceased working in television and moved on to film. The company's film work has been far more successful than its television work. Apatow Productions has been responsible for eight hit comedy films over the past five years, including Anchorman, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Talladega Nights, Knocked Up, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Step Brothers, Pineapple Express, and Funny People. They have also, for the most part, been critically acclaimed in North America.

In addition to various Apatow-directed films, the company has also produced movies for other directors including Adam McKay (Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Step Brothers), Greg Mottola (Superbad), Jake Kasdan (Walk Hard), Steven Brill (Drillbit Taylor), Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Me to the Gig), David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express), and Harold Ramis (Year One).

Company Filmography

• Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
• Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie (2004, direct-to-video)
• The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
• Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
• Knocked Up (2007)
• Superbad (2007)
• Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007, uncredited)
• Drillbit Taylor (2008)
• Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
• Step Brothers (2008)
• Pineapple Express (2008)
• Year One (2009)
• Funny People (2009)
• Get Him to the Greek (2010)
• Untitled Bo Burnham Project (2010)(Tentative production)

Television shows

• Sick in the Head (1999, unsold pilot) - Fox Network
• Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000) - NBC
• North Hollywood (2001, unsold pilot) - ABC
• Undeclared (2001-2002) - Fox Network
• Life on Parole (2002, unsold pilot) - Fox Network

Future and inactive projects

The following are film projects were announced for Apatow Productions that have now become inactive for various reasons. Some of them may eventually enter the production phase, but there are no plans to produce any of these films soon:

• Untitled Motorcycle Cop Comedy - New Line Cinema - This project was set to star Will Ferrell and Jack Black as Los Angeles motorcycle police officers, when it was announced in 2003. Apatow was hired to write and direct the film, which would have been his directorial debut. The plot of the film revolved around Ferrell's character leaving Irvine, California because of the lack of crime, only to be partnered with Black's character who comes from a family of police officers.^[1]

• Early Bird - Paramount Pictures - This project was announced in 2005, but has since become inactive. The film was set to be based upon Rodney Rothman's 2005 novel Early Bird, in which the main character is a man in his 20s who retires prematurely and moves into a senior citizen community. Before this attempt at turning the novel into a film, it was turned into a television pilot that was not picked up.^[2]

• The Recruiter - Universal Studios - A film was set to follow one day in the life of a military recruiter for the United States Marines. The project was announced in 2006; and was to have starred The 40-Year-Old Virgin cast member Romany Malco in the lead role, from a screenplay by Robert Siegel.^[3]

• The Middle Child - Universal Studios - The script to this project was written by frequent Apatow actor Jonah Hill as a vehicle for him to star in. The plot would revolve around Hill's character being the youngest of two brothers and finding out that his parents put a child that they had before him up for adoption. This older brother (who Hill intended to be played by Seth Rogen) would then reappear and cause Hill's character to experience middle child syndrome in his early 20s. The project seems to be inactive for the time being.^[4]

• Untitled Dan Mazer Comedy - Universal Studios - The plot and cast of this film was not released when the announcement of the project was made in 2006. Dan Mazer was set to write and to direct.^[5]

• Five-Year Engagement - Universal Studios - This project was announced in 2008 and will star Jason Segel as half of a couple that endures a rocky, five-year engagement. Segel will write the script with Nicholas Stoller, who is set to direct. The project currently appears inactive.^[6]

• The Long D - Universal Studios - This project was written by Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen, and Evan Goldberg. The film revolves around two characters named Dave and Rena and traces their long distance relationship as they go to colleges on opposite sides of the country after dating for most of high school. The project was first announced in 2007. The trio wrote the film and intended to film it in 2006, but opted to do Knocked Up instead. Because Apatow, Rogen, and Goldberg all remain involved in other projects, there seem to be no plans to produce this film soon.^[7]

• Pure Imagination - Columbia Pictures - This is another project that Jonah Hill had written as a vehicle for himself. The plot would revolve around Hill's character developing a relationship with an imaginary woman after a traumatic experience. At one point, Harold Ramis was attached to direct, but the project seems to currently be inactive.^[8]

• Attorneys at Raw - Universal Studios - This project was announced in 2007, and was to star and be written by David Krumholtz. However, the project seems to be inactive as no new announcements have been made since the initial one. The plot centered on two rappers who become lawyers, and Krumholtz had indicated his intent to have Seth Rogen co-star with him.^[9]

• A Whole New Hugh - Universal Studios - The pitch for this project was bought by Universal in 2007, when the project was announced. However, the project seems to be inactive as no new announcements have been made since the pitch was bought. The film would have starred Ed Helms as a man whose two friends try to raise his confidence by making him seem like a success. The screenplay was written by Ed Helms, Jake Fleischer, and Ian Berger.^[10]

• Other projects include a Sherlock Holmes comedy starring Sacha Baron Cohen and Will Ferrell, and a slasher film written by and starring Bill Hader.

References

External links

• Apatow Productions at the Internet Movie Database