Judd Apatow’s 2012 comedy-drama This is 40 turned 10 years old last year, and while the director does have hopes for another entry, busy schedules are keeping him from getting to it.
Speaking to The Playlist recently, Apatow revealed that he did have an idea for a sequel to This is 40, aptly titled This is 50. According to a joking Apatow, though, his family’s busy schedule is keeping him from getting to it.
“I have an idea for something [‘This is 50’] . . . I have an idea for that, so it’s something I’ve been outlining on the side that I would love to do, but right now, it’s all about, ‘is my family available?’ Their schedules are getting tight.”
Apatow’s joke refers to the recent growth in stardom to Iris and Maude Apatow, the latter of whom rose to fame after starring as Lexi Howard in the hit HBO drama series Euphoria.
Iris Apatow also starred in the Netflix series Love for two years and recently appeared in 2022’s The Bubble.
Originally released in 2012, This is 40 acted as a sequel of sorts to 2007’s Knocked Up, which also featured Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann’s characters from the film.
Alongside Rudd and Mann, the film also starred John Lithgow, Megan Fox, Albert Brooks, and both Maude and Iris Apatow.
The film followed the story of Rudd and Mann’s Pete and Debbie, a couple entering their 40s together and dealing with life with two children as well as the stress of their relationship and getting older.
During its opening weekend, This Is 40 grossed $11.58 million at the domestic box office. By the end of its theatrical run, This Is 40 grossed approximately $67.5 million at the domestic box office, and approximately $20.5 million at the foreign box office, with a worldwide total of $88 million. While it had the lowest opening weekend for any of Apatow’s films, it was a greater box-office success than his prior film, Funny People.
