Neighbors 2

A couple of new parents facing off with a house full of frat bros is a pretty funny idea (and made for a pretty funny movie), but there’s something even more inherently hilarious about the notion of a grown man and his wife battling it out with sorority sisters. That seems like a fairly easy sequel concept for Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, but it’s hard not to laugh at Seth Rogen and Chloe Moretz violently glaring at each other in this new poster.

A great poet once said that girls just want to have fun. And now several more great artists are out to prove it with Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising.

As the sneak peek above suggests, we’ll have the first full, official trailer for Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising tomorrow, but until then, enjoy 15 seconds of footage from the upcoming sequel to the 2014 comedy hit starring Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne. This time around, the pleasant couple next door are besieged by a house full of sorority sisters led by Chloe Moretz, who appears only briefly in the trailer, but seems to have been perfectly cast as yet another cold and calculating antagonist.

When last we saw Mac and Kelly Radner (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) things were finally starting to calm down for them and their newborn daughter. But calm doesn’t make good material for a sequel, and so for the upcoming Neighbors 2 (subtitled Sorority Rising, apparently), things are about to get rowdy again. At least according to Wikipedia’s plot synopsis. And Wikipedia is never wrong:

So far we don’t know much about Neighbors 2 — the title is rumored to be Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, and will reportedly focus on Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne’s married couple dealing with a new, obnoxious sorority that moves in next door, essentially gender-swapping the conflict from the first film. Chloe Moretz was the first newcomer to sign on, and now she has company, with former Disney darling and Spring Breakers star Selena Gomez joining the cast.

Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne and Zac Efron won’t be the only stars reprising their roles in Neighbors 2 — Dave Franco has also moved into the comedy sequel, joining new cast member Chloe Moretz in the film, which turns the narrative tables as a group of sorority girls take their turn terrorizing the neighborhood.

Chloe Moretz is a tricky actress whose talents are often misread or misused (see: Carrie), but when she’s utilized well, she really shines (see: Clouds of Sils Maria, Laggies). The young actress has yet to star in a legitimate comedy, though she did show off some solid comedic chops on 30 Rock. That’s about to change, as Moretz is in talks to join Neighbors 2, marking her first part in a real comedy film.

This is sort of a surprising-not-surprising news item. Universal is readying a sequel to last year’s phenomenally successful comedy ‘Neighbors,’ which starred Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne as married thirtysomethings whose suburban bliss with their newborn baby is spoiled by the arrival of a rowdy frat house next door. The first movie didn’t exactly leave a bunch of loose ends for Rogen, Byrne, and Efron to continue into another film, and comedy sequels don’t have a great track record. But the first movie did gross over $268 million worldwide against an $18 million budget. Hence the not-surprising part: Universal’s announcement that they’re working on a ‘Neighbors 2,’ which they hope to have in theaters by next summer.

'Neighbors' was an instant comedy hit when it landed in theaters last month, and with the film crossing $135 million at the box office this weekend, the question of a sequel is inevitable. And this weekend star and producer Seth Rogen admitted that there has definitely been talk of a sequel with the Universal -- but so far it's just talk.