Neighbors was the surprise comedy hit of 2014, grossing $268 million worldwide. So it should come as no surprise that a sequel has officially been given the greenlight for 2016.
Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, and director Nicholas Stoller will all return. No word as to whether scene-stealer Dave Franco will be back, but the sequel will revolve around a new feud with a sorority house:
Penned by Andrew Jay Cohen and Brendan O’Brien, the first Neighbors revolved around a couple (Rogen, Byrne) with a new baby who are forced to live next to a fraternity house and do whatever they can to take it down. Cohen and O’Brien are back for the sequel, which will have a female twist. This time a sorority moves in next door to the couple, who enlist their former nemeses from the fraternity to help battle the raucous sisters. (Via THR)
This could go either way. The original was only made for $18 million, and if the next one keeps the budget low and finds a fresh angle a la 22 Jump Street, this could be another huge hit. The biggest obstacle is finding a reason to revisit the college setting, since a central theme in the original film concerned growing up and moving on from college life. Then again, one of the best parts of Neighbors was the friendship between Rogen and Efron. A whole movie of the two of them pranking sorority girls could be really freaking great.
Neighbors 2 is currently scheduled for May 13, 2016 wide release.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
