Seth Rogen as a pool cleaning Jesus clone?
Seth Rogen. He is one of the “hottest” names in the comedy genre right now. He is huge, appearing in just about every new “hit” comedy in the past two years. And he seems to be a very polarizing comedic actor; most people either love him, or hate him. Personally, I like the guy. I think he is hilarious. Every movie I have seen him in is laugh out loud funny. I don’t want to see him get over-exposed, I don’t want to see him in every single comedy. But once or twice a year would be great. But I digress. I begin with Seth Rogen because he is being considered for a starring role in a new project from Alexandre Aja , the writer/director of Mirrors, The Hills Have Eyes, and the upcoming Piranha 3D. The project is currently titled The Gospel according to Jimmy. It is based on the satirical novel by Didier van Cauwelaert. Now, before I go on a rant here, let me give you a brief description of the plot of the novel. It is important to remember that the following description is a direct quote from Aja himself:
“You have to imagine, a few years from now, the Republicans want to get back in the White House, and the only thing that they find is like an old cloning project … to clone Jesus from a blood cell on the Shroud of Turin. And one subject had survived, and he’s fixing pools in L.A., named Jimmy. And they’re going to find him and ask him to come back and help them to get back to power.”
So, Seth Rogen is Alexandre Aja’s ideal choice to play a pool cleaning clone of Jesus. Worst idea EVER! I know it is completely original, and I have been begging for originality in the movie business. But casting Rogen as a clone of Jesus? Listen, I like Seth Rogen, I really do. Normally, hearing about Seth Rogen’s involvement in a project excites me. But this, coupled with the announcement from a while back stating that Seth Rogen was set to star in the big screen adaptation of The Green Hornet (as the Hornet himself), leads me to believe that Seth Rogen has lost his mind. There has to be something wrong with him. This characters do not fit in with what he does best. Seth Rogen is great in the new genre of “Vulgar Comedies.” Comedies that are filled with foul language, sex, and dirty jokes. That is what he does best. Maybe he isn’t too picky about the films he chooses to do. Surely, it’s not his fault that studio’s keep asking him to join the cast of their comedies. Like I said, he is a hot commodity. Maybe he just wants the cash?
Or maybe, just maybe, he really wants to branch out and star in different types of films. Perhaps he wants to be a well rounded movie star, not just a star comedic actor. If this is the case, more power to him. I hope he achieves everything he wants to in this business. He seems to be a genuinely nice guy, so I will root for him. But that doesn’t mean I will be all for him being cast in everything. That is not a good idea. I like watching his films, but I don’t want to see him in every single movie, each year. Am I the only one who thinks this?
And that is just the casting choice. What’s the deal with this novel? Why is it being made into a movie? Seriously, what does a clone of Jesus have to do with republicans getting into the White House? Furthermore, how did they come across this cloning project? Republicans are trying to get back into the White House, so maybe they start planning their next campaign strategy or launch some sort of grass-roots campaign to get in good with the people of the country. I get those, they make sense. If they were trying to get another republican elected, how would they come across this Jesus cloning business? How would finding this clone of Jesus help them to get elected?
Let me answer some of these questions. First, what does a Jesus clone have to do with republicans returning to the White House? Nothing. If he did, how would it work? Well, people would never believe that Jesus was cloned. The religious right would lash out against the republicans for claiming that. It’s heresy. I know that movies are just fantasy, meant purely for entertainment. But I just can’t get past that ridiculous idea. This movie is destined for the bargain bin, in my opinion. I have absolutely no desire to see this whatsoever. Look, I’m sure it was a decent novel. The subject matter certainly seems like it could easily fit in the literary world. It would probably be more accepted by that crowd as well. I have to wonder how it will be received by middle America. The religious groups are surely going to be highly agitated and offended. In fact, I have serious doubts about this movie ever being made. At this point, the project is only in the development stages. Aja is still looking for a writer. So maybe this film never gets made. I am always complaining about not getting enough originality in Hollywood. But when we finally do get some, it has to be a retarded idea like this one? Maybe I’m being too harsh. Maybe I should go easy on this. What do you think?