Despite the previous rejection of sequels to Superbad and Pineapple Express, Judd Apatow remains optimistic about the return of R-rated comedies to the big screen.
Speaking with Variety on the red carpet of Saturday Night Live's 50th anniversary special, Apatow opined that all it takes is "one person with a great idea," and if the comedy is a hit, then "suddenly everyone wants to do it again."
"These things kind of swing back and forth," he said. "If someone made something as funny as The Hangover right now, it would make a billion dollars, and everyone would be trying to do that. It ebbs and it flows, and hopefully it'll flow soon."
As for why comedy has seemingly taken a back seat at the multiplexes, Apatow believes that studios and industry financiers are prioritizing "very visual" projects.
"They tend to want to make things that will play well in Asia," Apatow expressed. "Will people also like this in Bulgaria? Comedy is very local to America. The obstacle to getting things done is … everything that gets made [needs] to be the largest thing in the world. Comedy isn't always meant to be like that. Comedy isn't like an action movie."
One thing Apatow believes could work in favour of bringing the genre back to big-screen prominence is the advent of streaming. He explained, "Everything bubbles up on all these different streamers and networks. Things that you thought disappeared, like Walk Hard, suddenly is insanely popular. Freaks and Geeks seems to be perennially very popular… The Cable Guy. That's the fun of making these things — they never really disappear."