SuperBad Director Greg Mottola To Helm Adventureland

Breaking News: Judd Apatow didn't direct SuperBad. That's right, he was only the producer. I feel like everyone including the studio were trying to keep this fact secret. And it makes sense, Judd Apatow is now the new hot name brand in comedy movies (does anyone remember this is the same guy who once produced and wrote Heavy Weights and Celtic Pride? IMDb never forgets!). Greg Mottola is actually the guy who made the film (he also made The Daytrippers in 1996 and the failed Apatow Fox series Undeclared). So now that he's made a successful film, everyone wants to know – what is he doing next? (Okay, everyone doesn't want to know, because most people still think he's Judd Apatow, but we're trying to correct that people!)

JoBlo has the exclusive news that Mottola has signed on to direct Adventureland, a period comedy film set in the 1980's which follows a college graduate who was prepared to spend his summer in Europe before starting Grad School. But when his father is laid off, he is now stuck at his home in Long Island, NY. He is forced to bet a job at a local amusement park called Adventureland "where comedy abounds and he falls in love."

When I was a kid, we had an amusement park very close to my home (it's now actually a Six Flags). So every year I would visit the park more than a few times (especially as I became older in age). I always thought that working at an amusement park must lead to some interesting stories. Sure, it's probably a crappy minimum wage job, but those are usually the jobs that result in the best tales (I know I have quite a few from my adventures working at a convenience store).  And I can only imagine the type of fun that could have ensued in a huge theme park with tons of other teenage workers.

The film is apparently based on Mottola's own experiences at Long Island's actual Adventureland. Filming is set to begin this October in Pittsburgh. I'm now very interested. I wonder if Disney will contest the title?