The first official image from the new Simon Pegg and Nick Frost movie Paul has been spotted at Universal Studios, snapped, and sent to Collider. Some images from the set had been seen, but nothing from the actual movie, so for someone visiting Universal to see this giant image hanging outside is a tad odd, but still good for all of us! Click the image at right to see it in full.

Paul is purely a fanboy movie with Pegg and Frost starring as loyal geeks on a road trip to Comic Con who encounter an alien while near Area 51. The movie is directed by Greg Mottola, who is known for his instant comedy classic Superbad, as well as the recent Adventureland.

The movie also stars Seth Rogen as the alien they meet, which will be created using motion capture. It’s also said that the alien will spit a lot of foul language in true Rogen form and that the movie will likely be R-rated. Rounding it all out will be Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, Dave Koechner, Sigourney Weaver, Blythe Danner, and Kristen Wiig.

Click on over to read the official synopsis from What Is Paul? where you can also go and see a ton of behind the scenes images.

Adventureland
Directed by Greg Mottola
Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Martin Starr, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader
Rated R
Release date: April 3, 2009

We’ve always been told not to judge a book by its cover. That practice is a lot easier in theory than in execution, especially with movies. Before its release, the level of expectation of a movie lives and dies by its trailers and advertising. But all the hype in the world doesn’t replace actually sitting through the movie and forming your own conclusion.

Set in a summer in the late 1980s, Adventureland is the story of James Brennen (Jesse Eisenberg), a recent college graduate who, in lieu of his family’s financial difficulties, is forced to forgo his planned summer in Europe to move home and get a job to pay for college. After being turned down for everything else he reluctantly takes a job at a local amusement park where he begins an awkward relationship of sorts with one of his co-workers, Emily (Kristen Stewart).

There is enough material in that description for some really good comedy; the kind of comedy you would expect from writer/director Greg Mottola given that his name and resume is plastered across every advertisement, trailer, and sandwich board trying to sell you this movie. After the success Superbad, which he also directed, it would seem that making another comedy would be the perfect way to respond. Apparently being easier in theory than execution applies to everyone. To make matters worse, he has no one to blame but himself.

Aside from starring Twilight‘s Kristen Stewart in what I consider to be her “natural” state, I have tons of reasons why I already know I’ll love Adventureland.

First of all, it takes place in Long Island, NY (not far from my neck of the woods in Brooklyn) in the summer of 1987 — a great year, if I say so myself — at an amusement park (love it!). It’s about a recent college grad (Jesse Eisenberg who you might remember from Cursed — I do) who has to take a low-wage job at a local amusement park where he falls in love with his co-worker Em (Kristen Stewart) and ends up having the best time of his life.

The R-rated film is directed by Greg Mottola, who’s directorial debut was the raunchy teen comedy Superbad, which I thought was funny as hell. While Adventureland is also a comedy, it’s doesn’t seem to be the outlandish kind. The movie screams “indie darling” and even has that Garden State wallpaper. Just to hit the point home, the trailer plays “Blister in the Sun” by the Violent Femmes. But another super-bonus point for it is its use of Rush’s “Limelight” in the trailer and within the film itself (we see one of the characters air-drumming while trying to remember the lyrics).