Seth Rogen comedy ‘Townies’ gives L.A. feature production a boost

“Townies,” an upcoming comedy starring Seth Rogen and Zac Efron, is giving some comic relief to Los Angeles.

The Universal Pictures movie, in which Rogen plays a regular family man whose life is upended by the raucous behavior of his frat boy neighbor (Efron), has been lighting up local feature production.

The timing couldn’t be better for L.A., where location filming for feature films dropped nearly 12% in April compared with the same period last year after a 26% surge in the first quarter, according to data from FilmL.A. Inc., which handles film permits for the city and the county.

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“Townies” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” from Disney-owned Marvel Studios are among the few high-profile movies shooting locally, with most major studio movies shooting in Georgia, North Carolina and other states with richer film incentives than California’s.

Directed by Nicholas Stoller, “Townies,” is being produced by Good Universe and Rogen’s Point Grey Pictures and is expected to be released next year.

The film was originally slated to shoot in New Orleans, but Stoller recently told The Times’ Rebecca Keegan that he wanted to film in L.A. for family reasons.

The crew has filmed in recent weeks in the Silver Lake area, Lafayette Park, Universal CityWalk, Chatsworth and at two Craftsman-style homes in the West Adams district, according to film permits. The production is filming this week and next in a neighborhood in the Mid-City area.

“It’s definitely a unique film in that we’ve had such long durations in two of these neighborhoods, “ said David Perk, key assistant location manager for the film. “That’s a bit of a challenge on its own, but it’s gone well.”

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