Kristen Wiig, Nick Frost, and Simon Pegg co-star with a CGI alien in the SF/road comedy 'Paul'

Credit: Universal Pictures

Today, we are going to see the premiere of not one but two new trailers for "Paul."

What, you may ask, is "Paul"?  Well, chances are if you're a regular reader of the blog, you are already well aware of this Simon Pegg/Nick Frost comedy, and you probably know that Greg Mottola directed it and Seth Rogen is contributing the voice of the titular alien, an all CG character in the film.

The general moviegoer, though, still has no idea what or who "Paul" is, so this is the week all of that starts to change.  Today, the UK version of the trailer is live right now, and we'll see the US trailer premiere online in just a little while. 

Mottola suggested on Twitter that there are differences between them ("The UK one is IN COLOUR!"), but we'll have to compare to see what they are.
Simon Pegg was also busy on Twitter making sure to let people know the moment it went live, and he sounded like he's excited but nervous ("*Tucks balls away*. It's time."), as I imagine anyone would be when finally kicking off the campaign for something they're so personally invested in.


After all, Pegg and Frost aren't just starring in the film, they also co-wrote it.  This is something that was inspired by a cross-country post-Comic Con road trip they took, and it's been one of those things where the experience has been in progress since the moment it happened, so finally reaching the moment where the full trailer is out there and the movie is done, it must be surreal for the guys.

Here's the UK version of the trailer, which features some amazing things including a particularly great use of the "Close Encounters" font:


As far as Paul himself is concerned, I think he's sort of awesome.  Lots and lots of character in the performance.  Love his face.  Love his eyes.  His body language is pretty great, with attitude to spare.  The last minute of the trailer really turns it up, with some great weird imagery and a reminder that this is not a particularly cuddly E.T. we're dealing with.  Jason Bateman.  Kristen Wiig.  Sigourney Weaver.  A flash of Jane Lynch.  This one's going to be Nerdvana.

As soon as the US trailer is available, I'll update it right here.  Until then, "Paul" will be in theaters , 2010.