Having lost his, er, megaphone virginity (come on, you know he’d phrase it that way) with apocalypse-com This Is The End, Seth Rogen is ready to commit to a second cine-relationship with the director’s chair, locking down a deal to co-direct The Interview with End collaborator Evan Goldberg.

The lead role for the new project is being targeted for the pair’s friend and Rogen’s frequent acting cohort, James Franco. It’s early days for Franco right now – he hasn’t started talks just yet – but we suspect he’ll be happy to jump back into working with Rogen and co, assuming he has time in his packed schedule.

The Interview, which is based on a story by Rogen, Goldberg and Daily Show veteran Dan Sterling, would find Franco as a charismatic talk show host who, along with his producer (Rogen), gets caught up in a plot to assassinate the North Korean prime minister. If he does sign up, let's hope for Franco to throw himself into research by shadowing Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Which is going to be awkward during showers.

Rogen is back in acting mode for his next gig, Nick Stoller’s new comedy Townies, and he’s also been on voice duties again for DreamWorks Animation, lending his tonsular talents to ghostly comedy B.O.O.: Bureau Of Otherworldly Operations. Goldberg, who is generally happier behind the camera, is producing Townies and also is one of the backers of a poutine food truck. No, we’re not kidding.

This Is The End, meanwhile, will be with us on June 28.