Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising finds our favorite young couple, Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne) Radner, making a new addition to their family. After they sell their house, it is put on a 30-day escrow. But when Kappa Nu, led by sorority sisters Chloe Grace Moretz, Kiersey Clemons, and Beanie Feldstein, move in right next door, the Radners worry that their neighbors’ hard partying antics will force the buyers to pull out. To prevent that from happening, they recruit their old nemesis, Teddy (Zac Efron), to their team to force Kappa Nu out of their neighborhood.

We were recently invited to sit down with a group of our fellow journalists at the film’s press conference to talk to Moretz, Clemons, and Feldstein about what it was like to join the successful comedy franchise, getting asked for their input on their roles in the script, the laws that affect current sororities, and much more. Check out our interview below.

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Screenwriters: Andrew J. Cohen, Brendan O’Brien, Nicholas Stoller, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Cast: Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Efron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Dave Franco, Ike Barinholtz, Jerrod Carmichael, Hannibal Buress
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Rated R | 92 Minutes
Release Date: May 20, 2015

“This isn’t working! You’re only making them sexier!”

When you look at movies like Caddyshack II, The Hangover Part II, and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, one thing is clear: it’s damn near impossible to make a great comedy sequel. Why do these films pale in comparison to their predecessors? Is it because part of what makes comedy work in the first place is surprise, and by creating familiarity with a character or franchise, there’s less room for surprise? That’s certainly part of it.

That familiarity, however, is just a symptom of the cause of why comedy sequels often fail. Rarely are these films concerned with character development or story progression. It’s less about evolution and more about escalation. Characters remain largely unchanged while the emphasis is placed on making everything around them bigger and more outrageous. That’s what makes Nicholas Stoller‘s Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising so interesting. It looks like a rehash of the director’s 2014 film, but it’s a sneakily progressive movie that outsmarts its equally funny predecessor.

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Screenwriter: Seth Rogen, Nicholas Stoller, Evan Goldberg, Andrew Jay Cohen, Brendan O’Brien
Cast: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Chloë Grace Moretz, Beanie Feldstein, Kiersey Clemons, Dave Franco, Ike Barinholtz, Carla Gallo
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Rated R | 92 Minutes
Release Date: May 20, 2016

It’s hard to believe that a comedy sequel could actually be any good whatsoever. Repetition is the proverbial weapon of choice that so often kills a comedy sequel. It’s not even a question of making it greater than its predecessor but if such a thing is even necessary to begin with. For Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, there are a few concerns, sure, no film is without flaw, but Nicholas Stoller brings us something that is still funny and manages to maintain that sharp wit and hilarious chemistry between the cast members all the while adding new elements and even addressing a few serious social issues that affect us today.

The film centers on Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Rose Byrne) having to move and put their house in escrow when they find out that they are having a second child. When college freshman Shelby (Chloe Grace Moretz) establishes a new sorority, Kappa Nu, with Nora (Beanie Feldstein) and Beth (Kiersey Clemons) right next door, Mac and Kelly recruit Teddy (Zac Efron) to their team to battle the sorority sisters and prevent the buyers from pulling out.

Nicholas Stoller finds himself in a new creative territory this year. He has just directed his first sequel. strong>Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising marks the return of the hilarious writer and director, who has never directed a sequel before, and he reveals that making sequels isn’t as easy as it sounds.

We were recently invited to the film’s press conference where Stoller talked about writing and directing a sequel, the responsibility of giving females their own version of Animal House, him franchising his work through spinoffs, and writing other sequels. He also addressed some of the bigger issues like how five middle-aged guys who worked on the script were able to write female college freshman so well and finally having a gay character in one of his films. Find out what he had to say about all of this and more in our coverage of the Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising press conference below.

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising marks the return of Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, and Zac Efron, all of whom reprise their respective roles for more unneighborly hostile and funny relationships. When Mac (Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Byrne) are expecting their second child, they come to the realization that they must move into a bigger house for their new family. But before they can sell their house, they have to make sure it can go through a 30-day escrow, which the two are worried won’t be a success because a newly established hard-partying sorority, Kappa Nu, led by Shelby (Chloë Grace Moretz), has moved into their neighboring house. In an effort to keep the buyers from moving out, the Radners recruit an old nemesis, Teddy (Efron), to help battle the sorority sisters.

We were recently invited to sit down with a group of our fellow journalist to talk to the three about Neighbors 2 during the film’s press junket where we spoke about what it was like to come back for the sequel, how an intern helped with the development of the story, parenthood, and the costs of making the airbag scene. Check out the full interview below.