A Rundown of All James Franco and Seth Rogen’s Movie Collaborations Before Friendship Was Destroyed

James Franco and Seth Rogen’s friendship had been one of the most admired friendships in the industry. The former friends started collaborating in 1999s with Freaks and Geeks and had been in each other’s lives for almost two decades until 2018. Two of comedy’s most famous actors’ friendship was shaken when allegations against Franco from his former students were made public. The publicity surrounding the lawsuit took a major hit at the height of James Franco’s career.

The lawsuit has since been settled, but Franco and Rogen’s friendship is over. James Franco appears in the French thriller The Price of Money: A Largo Winch Adventure and, in a recent interview, shared how his downfall only helped him to see the brighter light. He also addressed his friendship with Seth Rogen, with whom he had collaborated in various movies.

A look back at James Franco and Seth Rogen’s collaborations

Hollywood’s dynamic duo James Franco and Seth Rogen had been friends and collaborators for over two decades. They met as teenagers while trying to make their way into mainstream success and decided to not only stay in each other’s lives, but also collaborate on various projects.
 
Fans who had been loyal to their projects and admired their friendship are disappointed with the fallout but understand why the actors decided to go their own way. We take a look back at their collaborations, which are not going anywhere.

1. Knocked Up (2007)

Knocked Up, a romantic-comedy movie starring Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, and James Franco, follows the consequences of a one-night stand. Rogen plays a slacker, Heigl plays a media personality, and the drunken one-night stand between the two results in an unintended pregnancy.

Directed by Judd Apatow, the movie received positive responses from the audience and critics. In 2012, a spin-off film This Is 40 was released featuring Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd’s characters.

2. Pineapple Express (2008)

Seth Rogen and James Franco later collaborated on 2008’s Pineapple Express, a buddy-stoner action comedy movie. Directed by David Gordon Green, the movie remains one of the most successful collaborations of the two comedy geniuses. The story follows a process server and a laid-back drug dealer who smoke the rare Pineapple Express together.

The two of them attempt to flee from the drug lord’s hitmen and a corrupt police officer after witnessing them shoot and kill an Asian man. There were rumors about the makers wanting to have a sequel to the movie, but it was quashed after there were budget disagreements with Sony.

3. This Is the End (2013)

Directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, an apocalyptic fantasy comedy movie, The Is the End is an adaptation of Rogen and Goldberg’s short movie Jay and Seth Versus the Apocalypse. The actors, including Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, Rogen, and more, play fictionalized versions of themselves in the way of a global biblical apocalypse.

Upon release, the movie received positive comments from critics and the audience, who went on to praise the performances of the actors. Their chemistry with each other didn’t go unnoticed.

4. The Interview (2014)

The Interview is one of the controversial collaborations between Franco and Rogen, as Sony received threats from the North Korean government for the release of the movie. The story follows two journalists traveling to North Korea to interview North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after they were made aware that he is a fan of their show Skylark Tonight.

What’s interesting is that as the two of them prepare to travel to North Korea, the CIA recruits them to assassinate the dictator. Because of the threat from the North Korean government, the movie was not released in theaters.

5. Sausage Party (2016)

One of the strangest yet intriguing adult animated movies, Sausage Party, was released in 2016. The movie follows an anthropomorphic sausage who lives in a supermarket and goes on a journey with his friends to escape their fate as groceries.

The unique concept movie received positive responses from the audience and critics. The humor and story were highly praised, and a sequel series, Sausage Party: Foodtopia, was released in 2024.

6. The Disaster Artist (2017)

Franco starred along with his brother Dave Franco and Seth Rogen in 2017’s The Disaster Artist, which follows a story of unlikely friendship between aspiring actors. It focuses on the relationship the two share and their pursuits in making The Room.

The biographical-comedy movie received praise for the story and chemistry between the Franco brothers and their respective portrayals of their characters. James Franco won the Best Actor-Musical or Comedy at the 75th Golden Globe Awards for his performance.

7. Zeroville (2019)

Zeroville, a comedy-drama movie, is based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Steve Erickson. The story follows Franco’s character, who goes to Hollywood for a job at a renowned studio and crosses paths with an actress. After working in the industry for a couple of years, he shows a knack for editing and thus gets hired by a singing producer to edit the actress’ movie.

The film goes on to trace Franco’s character’s journey over the next decade in the industry. Zeroville received negative reviews upon release and was nominated for three Golden Raspberry Awards.

Bonus: Franco made a cameo in the Rogen starrer The Night Before which was released in 2015. And Rogen made a cameo in Franco’s The Sound and the Fury in 2014.

James Franco admits he’s told Seth Rogen how much he meant to him

In a recent interview with Variety, James Franco was asked about the situation with his long-time friend and collaborator Seth Rogen, to which he said,

I haven’t talked to Seth. I love Seth; we had 20 great years together, but I guess it’s over. And not for lack of trying. I’ve told him how much he’s meant to me.

Franco appeared on SiriusXM radio last year, where he addressed that he still loves Rogen and mentioned that they haven’t had a single fight in their 20-year-long friendship. The 127 Hours actor added that Rogen was his absolute closest work friend, and collaborator, noting that they just gelled really well together.

But Franco couldn’t deny that their friendship was at a rocky stage, as he mentioned that it’s true that they are not working together and don’t have any plans to do the same. The actor added that he felt hurt to hear that their professional relationship was over but understood why Rogen said what he said because Franco was silent.