He also has thoughts on the potential for a sequel to I Love You, Man.
Sequels are tricky.
You’ve got to give the audience an almost impossible mix of what they loved about the original, while also providing something fresh and new to make sure you’re not just copy-pasting what came before.
That is the hurdle facing Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which is taking up the mantle of the iconic 1984 comedy-horror, which in itself had a less successful sequel in 1989 and a much-maligned reboot in 2016.
But if there is anyone out there who might know how to stick the landing of a comedy sequel, it is Paul Rudd.
He’s had some of his biggest and most beloved comedies – Anchorman, Wet Hot American Summer, Knocked Up – get the sequel treatment, but there are some other biggies in his CV that Hollywood hasn’t returned to just yet.
In the run-up to the release of the new Ghostbusters movie, JOE chatted to Paul about the movie and his career, and you can check out that interview in full right here:
Over the course of the interview, in which Rudd also reveals that he was once so terrified of a scary movie that he had to go see a therapist to get over it, we brought up some of his much-loved comedies that have yet to get a sequel.
So, given the option, which of these would Rudd most like to return to: The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Role Models or I Love You, Man?
Rudd told us:
“I am kind of curious about what the story is with all three of those now. The 40-Year-Old Virgin would be in his mid-50s now, and would he be tearing it up? Would he go the opposite way? Would he just be hitting up everything that moves? Yeah, like in a really skeevy way. He’d be like the guy you don’t wanna talk to.
“Isn’t that the deal with the sequel? You have to go the opposite, you have to do a 180. So Andy, Steve Carrell’s character, is a lothario and just a piece of trash. That would be an interesting choice.
“Or I Love You, Man. I’d like to see what happens to Jason Segel’s character. Where does Sidney go? And that was a fun movie to do, so yeah, I’d be down to know what happened there.”
We also chatted Rudd’s young co-stars – Mckenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Logan Kim and Celeste O’Connor – and you can check out those interviews in full right here.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is released in Irish cinemas on Thursday, 18 November.
Clip via Sony Pictures Ireland
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