Actor Seth Rogen was denied the opportunity to make a sequel to cult stoner comedy Pineapple Express because studio officials were “not that interested” in the idea.
The movie, directed by David Gordon Green, was a box office hit upon its 2008 release, grossing $102 million worldwide from a $26 million budget, and earned Rogen’s co-star, James Franco, a Golden Globe nomination.
The longtime pals were eager to capitalize on the project’s success, but executives at Sony Pictures shut down the idea of a follow-up.
“We tried to make one…,” Rogen explained to U.S. shock-jock Howard Stern. “It was something we were very open to several years ago, but Sony was not that interested in it.”
Speculating about the reason behind their decision, he added, “I think we probably wanted too much money. Studios, they don’t like giving away money. Weird thing!”
Pineapple Express, written by Rogen and his production partner, Evan Goldberg, followed the actor as a process server forced to go on the run with his marijuana dealer, played by Franco, after witnessing a murder.
