We got introduced to Mark Zuckerberg in early teasers for “The Social Network” as a punk, genius, prophet, traitor and billionaire, and using that same approach, the new domestic poster for the upcoming geek comedy “Paul” gives a little insight into its titular alien.
Fugitive, celebrity, slacker, joker, alien. “Paul” will be all those things and more when the R-rated comedy hits screens next spring. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost lead a top-notch cast that includes Seth Rogen, Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Jane Lynch, Sigourney Weaver, Jeffrey Tambor, Joe Lo Truglio and Bill Hader in a story that follows two Brit sci-fi geeks (Pegg and Frost) whose pilgrimage to Comic-Con is interrupted when they accidentally meet an alien (a mo-capped Rogen) who takes them on an insane road trip that will change their lives. It sounds like a total riot and the cast features some of our favorite comedic actors, but we’re a little concerned about the box office prospects for the film with an R-rating.
“Paul” already skews to the geek set on its premise alone and aside from Rogen (who is pure CGI here), Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are still marginal players in the U.S. box office. That said, they are much bigger quantities on their home turf and “Paul” certainly has the potential to be the kind of word-of-mouth comedy that gets people into theaters. Either way, with Greg Mottola at the helm we’re not too concerned and we’re sure “Paul” is something that will get people talking. It’s a high-concept comedy that in early trailers looks like it’s hitting all the right notes and tones. And really, more or less the same arguments were leveled against the Mottola-directed “Superbad,” which went on to do some boffo numbers anyway.
“Paul” will open in the UK first on February 18, 2011 before landing in the U.S. a month later on March 18, 2011. [Collider]
