Since the days of Freaks and Geeks (1999 – 2000), Seth Rogen and James Franco have worked together on several well-known films, including the critically acclaimed adult animation Sausage Party (2016) and the buddy stoner comedy Pineapple Express (2008). Most of their works were comedic in nature, even when the underlying genre was sci-fi, political commentary, or romance. The dynamic duo of Seth Rogen and James Franco was almost inseparable for nearly two decades until everything between them fell apart in 2018, mostly because of allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour on Franco’s end, leading Rogen to distance himself from his long-time collaborator.
Sci-Fi Works
This Is the End (2013) is the work closest to being sci-fi in their filmography together. While it is an apocalyptic movie, the driving storyline is not actually about a global disaster of any sort but a housewarming party gone wrong where a group of friends engage in various forms of altercation due to misunderstandings. Several scenes are unmistakably science fiction, such as a beam of light sucking people into the sky and a man getting decapitated by a mysterious creature, but they serve merely as backdrops that lead to more ridiculousness. As the story approaches its bizarre conclusion, the sci-fi touches gradually dissipate in favor of horror elements with depictions of Satan getting castrated and exorcism, but without losing the comedic nature.
The Interview (2014) is a political satire, but the real-world story surrounding its production and development looks and feels more like an actual sci-fi thriller. It is about two journalists, portrayed by Rogen and Franco, on their journey to North Korea to interview Kim Jong-un. The CIA becomes aware of the plan and instead recruits the journalists to carry out an assassination order under the pretense of an interview. Before the film’s original scheduled release, the North Korean government sent threats to the United States and demanded Sony make some major edits. Sony played along and implemented heavy changes to make the film acceptable for North Korean viewers. During the delay, however, a North Korean group known as “Guardians of Peace” hacked into Sony’s computer systems in an attempt to cancel the release altogether.
As for the storyline itself, the film ends with Kim Jong-un getting killed before issuing the orders to launch a nuclear missile at the United States. North Korea subsequently transforms into a denuclearized democracy. Although The Interview is essentially a comedy with unrestrained parody, the viciousness of the response by the North Korean government will forever make the film a memorable piece of work in the modern history of the cinema industry.
James Franco has quite a long list of sci-fi films in his portfolio, such as Spider-Man (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007), and Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), to name a few. Seth Rogen also boasts a respectable sci-fi track record with films like Donnie Darko (2001), Monsters vs. Aliens (2009), Paul (2011), The Green Hornet (2011), and The Watch (2012, writer).
We think collaborations between Seth Rogen and James Franco were always at their best when the works focused on the comedy genre, either satirical or action in style. Pineapple Express, Sausage Party, and The Interview were prime examples of how the two talents could showcase their dynamic abilities to pack a blend of drama, action, and suspense without sacrificing the humor in the delivery. In the years following the allegations and subsequent court settlements, James Franco has been quite busy with new projects including four upcoming films (as an actor) and at least one more as director. That said, it remains unclear if Seth Rogen and James Franco will see the day when they work together again in a film, whether sci-fi or any other genre.
Can you name any reason why Seth Rogen and James Franco should reconcile? What do you think their next sci-fi project together would be? We’d love to hear from you.
Other things you might want to know:
Movies featuring Seth Rogen and James Franco?
– Knocked Up (2007)
– Pineapple Express (2008)
– This Is the End (2013)
– The Interview (2014)
– The Sound and the Fury (2014)
– The Night Before (2015)
– Sausage Party (2016)
– The Disaster Artist (2017)
– Zeroville (2019)
In some movies, either Rogen or Franco only makes a cameo appearance.
What were the sexual misconduct allegations against James Franco?
James Franco was first struck with sexual misconduct allegations in 2014 when a 17-year-old Scottish girl shared screenshots of messages between her and Franco, then 35 years old. The communication showed Franco trying to arrange a meeting with the girl in a hotel room. Franco admitted to sending the messages and apologised publicly. Things cooled off for the several years that followed, until January 2018, when an article published in the Los Angeles Times brought to the surface more allegations by five women, four of whom were his former acting students. For further details, please visit the Los Angeles Times.
Will there be more collaboration between Seth Rogen and James Franco in the future?
Back in May 2021, during an interview with The Sunday Times, Seth Rogen said he had no plans to work on any future projects with James Franco. He further added that the controversy surrounding the allegations had changed the dynamic in their relationship. For more information, please visit The Sunday Times.
The 2019 film Zeroville, starring James Franco and Seth Rogen, was actually ready for release in 2015 but was postponed for several years due to issues concerning distribution rights.
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