Judd Apatow Is Working On a ‘This Is 40’ Sequel

Somehow, it has already been ten years since Judd Apatow’s This Is 40 opened in theaters. That would seem to present an opportunity for a sequel which, naturally, would have to be titled This Is 50, and checked in on the characters ten years later. And it looks like Apatow may indeed seize that opportunity.

In an interview with TheWrap, Apatow said he’s “always wanted to make This Is 50 and it is time.” This Is 40 was actually a spinoff from Apatow’s earlier hit Knocked Up, in which a married couple played by Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann played key supporting roles. In This Is 40, they became the stars, as their marriage becomes strained as both of them hit middle age.

Apatow also said that he can only really do a This Is 50 now…

I couldn’t have done it five years ago and I can’t do it five years from now, so I’ve been outlining that and hope it’s something that we get to do. I feel like [‘This Is 40’] has really aged well, and it always feels like everyone watches it when they turn 40 and they go, ‘Oh, I understand it all now’ (laughs). So I’m enthusiastic about putting that together.

This Is 50 is one of two projects that Apatow is apparently developing at the moment, but he did tell TheWrap that he has a concept for the film that he really likes. “I’m hoping that comes together,” he added.

Making a sequel will also require reuniting the earlier film’s key cast, although since Mann is his wife and the couple’s two daughters Maude and Iris play Rudd and Mann’s two daughters in the film, that may not be too difficult. The main issue is that Paul Rudd never ages, and I don’t think anyone is actually going to believe that he could play a character who is 50 years old. Other than that, it sounds like a lot of fun.