There’s An Idea For ‘Harold And Kumar 4’, Says Kal Penn [TCA 2019]
Kal Pennwas on a Television Critics Association panel today forSunnyside, the new NBC comedy in which he stars and he co-created. Penn will play a disgraced local politician who finds a purpose helping a group of immigrants pass their citizenship test. After theSunnysidepanel, /Film asked Penn about the possibility of revisiting his movie franchise,Harold and Kumar.Penn played Kumar with John Cho as Harold in three films,Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo BayandA Very Harold and Kumar Christmas. The third film came out in 2011, so the past eight years has been the longest between any Harold and Kumar movie. However, Penn said that creators Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg have started developing ideas for a fourth film.“Hey, we were just talking about that with Jon and Hayden, the two guys who wrote it,” Penn said.Schlossberg and Hurwitz are currently working on season three ofCobra Kaiwith Josh Heald, and Penn is launching his new show. Cho is starring in the live-actionCowboy Bebopseries so it will still be some time before they even start writing a fourth script, but it is on the horizon.“They’re busy working onCobra Kai,” Penn said. “John and I both have our own things this year so I think our hope is towards the end of the year, we’d like to toss something around and see what might work.“TheHarold and Kumarfilms were a launching pad for everyone involved. Penn had played supporting roles, often forcing him to do a stereotypical Indian accent, in films likeVan Wilder. John Cho was most famously “Milf Guy #2” inAmerican PiebeforeHarold and Kumar.Go to White Castlewas Hurwitz and Schlossberg’s first produced screenplay.Now Penn has worked for Barack Obama and starred on shows likeDesignated SurvivorandHouseand dramatic films likeThe Namesake. Cho joined the blockbusterStar Trekcrew and starred onThe Exorcistand Sundance hits likeColumbusandSearching. TheHarold and Kumarfilms are something they’re all proud of, so it’s nice to to see that no matter how big they get, they’re still interested in revisiting them.“I would consider myself lucky if I had the chance to makeHarold and Kumar 15when I’m 70 years old,” Penn said.
