- Rainn Wilson, The Office, TV, 2005-2013. NBC’s take on Ricky Gervais’ BBC mockumentary series was probably very high on Rogen’s Must Do list given the 30-plus movies he was bursting through in ten years. Also reading for Dwight Kurt Schrute III were Judah Friedlander, Jarrett Grode. Plus three Matts: Besser, Price and Walsh. Wilson (first seen for the boss, Michael Scott) survived the full 187 episodes.
- Jonah Hill, Superbad, 2006. It took asix years to getit before cameras asquite the dirtiest high school movie. “There was no real implication that it would ever get made,” said Seth.“It was born out of a very pure desire to just see kids acting on film like we acted… and spoke. Just to amuse ourselves, and unfortunately, really filthy jokes are what amuses us.”Apatow called it “one of the funniest movies I’ve ever been a part of– or near. About three hapless, sexually panicked teenagers hunting for liquor to impress girls.” By now, Seth was too oldto play Seth and played a cop, instead.
- Martin Starr, The Incredible Hulk, 2007. The new green guy was Edward Norton. And for a kind of lucky charm, he wanted one of the fellas from his producer wife Shauna Robertson’s Knocked Up comedy to fill the cameo spot of Computer Nerd. Rogen, Jonah Hill and Jason Segal passed. Starr starred. Kinda.
- James Franco, Pineapple Express, 2008. Rogen wrote Saul Silver for himself – in 2001. Once famous enough to win a budget, he felt co-star Franco would be funnier and swopped roles with him. At 16, Rogen quit Vancouver stand-up for LA, sunk his claws into Apatow “and haven’t let go ever since.” He has been involved as writer or star or both of eleven Apatow projects – six more than Leslie Mann. And she’s Mrs Apatow.
- Chiwetel Ejiofor, 2012, 2009. OK, the Canadian writer-actor has moved away from comedy to be The Green Hornet superhero but wasn’t chasing more A-list actioners. “I don’t want to become the kind of superstar who parties, does coke, throws up in the back of a limo. For me, my main goal is simple, to write the kind of comedy that me and my friends would instantly throw money down to see.”
- Tom Hardy, This Means War, 2011. Director McG first selected Bradley Cooper and James Franco as the two CIA buddies falling for the same bird. Even if she is Reese Witherspoon. Next? Colin Farrell, Bradley Cooper, Sam Worthington warring with Seth Rogen or Justin Timberlake. Way back at the turn of the century, it was to be Martin Lawrence v Chris Rock. But they’d all read the script. As Chicago critic Roger Ebert put it “So bad it’s nothing else but bad.
- Russell Brand, Rock of Ages, 2011. All singers want to act and all actors want to sing. Except Rogen. He had lost (a ton of) weight to be Green Hornet. Didn’t improve his voice. He backed away from playing Lonny because… “I can’t sing!” Tom Cruise could – and was staggering as rock star Stacee Jaxx, aka Jim Morrison meets Axel Rose, Alec Baldwin called it a horrible movie. “I only did it to work with Tom.” Well, the audition worked. They stayed together for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, 2014.
- Tom Hardy, This Means War, 2011. Rogen, James Franco, or Justin Timberlake were also up for the CIAgent at war with his senior partner (Bradley Cooper, Colin Farrell or Sam Worthington) – over Reese Witherspoon?! Way back at the turn of the century, it was to be a black two-hander for Martin Lawrence and Chris Rock. But they’d all read the script – “whose sensible parts,” suggested New York Times critic Lous Lumenick, “would fit on a napkin with enough room left over for the Gettysburg Address.” Chicago’s Roger Ebert simply added: “So bad it’s nothing else but bad.”
- James McAvoy, It Chapter Two, 2018. At one time The Penguin, The Rock, Peter Quill, Harry Potter, Deadpool, The Green Hornet and Doctor Who were suggested for the adult Bill Denbrough – ie, Danny De Vito, Dwayne Johnson, Chris Pratt, Daniel Radcliffe, Ryan Reynolds, Seth Rogan, David Tennant. Also in the mix: Zac Efron, Will Ferrell, Sean Hayes, Ashton Kutcher, Seth Rogan and such off-the-wall outsiders as UK comics Russell Brand, James Corden, Eddie Izzard and Matt Lucas! McAvoy was the real McCoy – and one of the biggest Stephen King fans around. Bill Skarsgård had more fun as Pennywise this time. No literal nightmares about fighting the cl and less dialogue… in the 262nd of King’s staggering 313 screen credits. (King Kameo: Pawnbroker).
- Jeremy Strong, The Trial Of The Chicago 7, 2019.
Thirteen years in the making, from when Steven Spielberg told supreme scenarist Aaron Sorkin about his plans to make a film about the riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago and the insane trial of seven of the Vietnam war protestors… to Sorkin directing his own scenario. Spielberg had cast Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman and wanted Will Smith to be Bobby Seale. Heath Ledger ODed the day before his meeting to discuss playing Tom Hayden; eleven days later, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Spielberg’s choice for the Seven’s lawyer William Kuntsler, also ODed. And Rogen finally passed Jerry Rubin to the Succession star. (Thank heaven). - JK Simmonds, Invincible, TV, 2021- This was the Amazon toon version of the feature film Universal had planned in 2017 Invincible from the Skybound/Image comics with Seth Rogen and his usual co-producer Evan Goldberg (after Superbad, Knocked Up, Pineapple Express, Funny People, The Green Hornet, 50/50, Goon, The Watch, This is the End, Neighbors, The Interview, The Night Before, Sausage Party, etc). Rogen would have been Omni-Man, a superhero
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 11