Powerhouse producing duo Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are used to causing a ruckus, including for studios. Remember The Interview? Rogen will never forget when he heard about President Obama addressing the North Korea-angering movie by trolling North Korea. Such studio scramblings might be part of the reason why Rogen and Goldberg envisioned The Studio for Apple TV+, which also stars Rogen in between seasons of his other Apple TV+ series, Platonic. Let’s not waste any more time in gathering hints on what to expect from this scathing comedy series.
Plot
As with The Boys (an ongoing heavy hitter from Rogen and Goldberg’s producing portfolio), expect biting comedy and a satiric takedown from within this movie’s subject matter. Rogen will portray Continental Studios chief Matt Remick, who is his own worst cinematic enemy. He ruins movies (because he loves them, and he loves zombie diarrhea, too) like a certain executive that Rogen and Goldberg encountered early in their Hollywood lives.
As Rogen told Indiewire, this executive was giving them “terrible notes,” and then he “looked up at us and was like, ‘You know, I got into this job because I love movies and now it’s my job to ruin them.'” Rogen did admit, “I am very worried that real-life people will recognize themselves in the show,” but those given a heads up on this subject “are mostly flattered.”
The first season will include a Bryan Cranston character inspired by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s eccentric suit choices. Here’s a peek:
Rogen revealed that Cranston’s original attire was planned as a “blue suit kind of” dude, but “then I had met with David Zaslav and he was in like a suede cowboy jacket with big flashy glasses with gold on them,” and the rest is TV history. Also, “As crazy as Bryan is on the show, he very much fits into the realm of what these guys are actually like, for better or worse.”
Apple TV+ has provided a series synopsis:
Seth Rogen stars as Matt Remick, the newly appointed head of embattled Continental Studios. As movies struggle to stay alive and relevant, Matt and his core team of infighting executives battle their insecurities as they wrangle narcissistic artists and craven corporate overlords in the ever-elusive pursuit of making great films. With their power suits masking their never-ending sense of panic, every party, set visit, casting decision, marketing meeting and award show presents them with an opportunity for glittering success or career-ending catastrophe. As someone who eats, sleeps and breathes movies, it’s the job Matt’s been pursuing his whole life, and it may very well destroy him.
Trailer
This teaser takes the form of a fake trailer for Duhpocalypse, which is a zombie survival movie starring Johnny Knoxville and Josh Hutcherson. The latter gets a shot of zombie diarrhea to the face, and the former then puts him out of his misery: “We all gotta die sooner or later, buddy.” Indeed.
From there, studio execs agonize over the trailer being banned, and Rogen’s studio head insists that the liquified poop is essential to the project’s artistic vision, so it’s going nowhere.
Cast
Seth Rogen is officially the running the joint as Matt Remick. He will be accompanied by Rebecca Hall, Olivia Wilde, Ike Barinholtz, Chase Sui Wonders, Kathryn Hahn, Catherine O’Hara, and Brian Cranston.
Release Date
Apple TV+’s The Studio premieres on March 26.
