Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, James Franco, Jay Baruchel, and Craig Robinson all survive the end of the world together in 'This Is The End,' a demented comedy coming next summer.

Credit: Columbia Pictures

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Well, there should be little doubt in your mind by the end of the special red-band preview of "This Is The End" as to whether or not you'll be seeing it.

I spoke about this with Seth Rogen briefly the other night at the "This Is 40" premiere, and it sounds like he and his creative partner Evan Goldberg are very happy with where they are on the film.  They're either just finishing the score or still working on it, and they're set for their summer release.  I visited the set earlier this year, and I'll just say that this is one of the most aggressively insane premises I've seen in a while, and the footage they showed us plus the work we saw live has me convinced they're making a one of a kind oddity.

The film takes place during the end of the world, and part of the mystery of the film deals with the nature of that incident.  Is it a Biblical Apocalypse?  A Mayan prophecy? An asteroid?  Monsters from space?  Lovecraftian beasties? 

The film takes place in Hollywood, and it deals first and foremost with the strained friendship between Seth Rogen (Seth Rogen) and Jay Baruchel (Jay Baruchel).  Everyone in the movie is playing themselves, but incredibly twisted versions of themselves.  In the introduction to the clip, Seth and James Franco broadcast from Franco's bunker as they wait for the Mayan end of the world, irritated that they won't be able to release their film before that.  In the movie, Seth and Jay get together during one of Jay's infrequent visits to Los Angeles, and Seth takes Jay to a huge Hollywood party at Franco's house.  Tons of cameos will be packed into the start of the film, and then the end of the world hits, and things get seriously deranged.

How deranged?  Well, the clip starts the morning after things have gone to hell, and everyone wakes up to find that Danny McBride, presumed dead the night before, has in fact survived, and has no idea anything happened.


 

The joke-within-a-joke twisting-self-image sense of humor of the film only gets crazier as it continues, and I'm sure there will be a more traditional trailer sometime soon that hints at just what a wild ride "This Is The End" will be.  For now, I think that's a confident first presentation that clearly indicates what sort of film they've made, and just how rough they plan to play.  This is the first film that Rogen and Goldberg have both written and directed, and it's something they've been working toward for a long time.  Glad to see them gearing up the campaign, and it looks like they're pulling no punches in that final cut.

"This Is The End" will destroy the world on June 14, 2013.

Drew McWeeny
Film Editor

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A respected critic and commentator for fifteen years, Drew McWeeny helped create the online film community as "Moriarty" at Ain't It Cool News, and now proudly leads two budding Film Nerds in their ongoing movie education.