James Franco and Jonah Hill team up in Rogen’s directorial debut

(AFP PHOTO/Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Actor Seth Rogen ( Green Hornet, Knocked Up) has cast James Franco and Jonah Hill to costar in his upcoming end-of-the-world comedy, Jay & Seth vs. The Apocalypse, which also marks Rogen's directorial debut.

Based on a film short from 2007 that was directed by Jason Stone and starred Rogen with Jay Baruchel ( The Sorcerer's Apprenticeship, How to Train Your Dragon), the story follows a group of guys facing the apocalypse - and each other.

Franco ( Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and Hill ( Get Him to the Greek) will play themselves in the film, according to The Playlist, as will Rogen and Baruchel. The group of guys discover when barricaded inside a shelter that they are unhappy being stuck together.

Baruchel has suggested the horror comedy might include a series of cameo appearances by actors including Will Smith. "I want there to be a lot of dead famous people in it," he explained.

Rogen is co-writing the screenplay with his frequent collaborator Evan Goldberg ( Superbad, Pineapple Express).

Shooting begins early in 2012, with a release expected later in the year. The faux trailer that inspired the film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehNFPShWTsg

Rogen will next appear in 50/50 with Joseph Gordon-Leavitt ( Inception), a dramedy based on a true story of a young man's battle with cancer. It releases September 30.

Also the actor/director/writer will costar with Barbra Streisand in My Mother's Curse, a comedy about an inventor on the road selling his latest invention, due in theaters November 2012.

Baruchel will costar in David Cronenberg's Cosmopolis with Robert Pattinson and Paul Giamatti, based on Don DeLillo's novel about a multimillionaire's 24-hour odyssey across Manhattan.

Franco will star in Oz: The Great and Powerful with Mila Kunis and Michelle Williams. The prequel of the classic Wizard of Oz is directed by Sam Raimi ( Spider-Man) and due March 2013. In 2012, he will star in the thriller The Iceman with Maggie Gyllenhaal and Michael Sheen.

Hill will be seen in Moneyball with Brad Pitt, opening September 23. He also stars in the comedy The Sitter with Sam Rockwell, releasing December 9, and in 21 Jump Street with Johnny Depp, due in theaters March 2012.

RC