Comedy dream teamSimon PeggandNick Frosthave been making audiences laugh all around the globe for over two decades, with the longtime friends having first creatively collaborated for the cult British TV showSpacedin 1999. The beloved sitcom was famously directed by Edgar Wright, with whom Pegg and Frost would once again join forces for the fan-favoriteThree Flavours Cornettotrilogy, which consisted of the filmsShaun of the Dead(2004),Hot Fuzz(2007), andThe World’s End(2013).
Each entry in the trilogy was a critical and commercial success, and in 2011, the celebrated funnymen both wrote and starred in the sci-fi comedyPaul, which features Seth Rogen as the titular alien who goes on an epic adventure with two lovable nerds while attempting to return to his home planet. Let’s take a closer look at the underrated Pegg and Frost gem and why it’s worthy of a binge-watch on Netflix.
A Fun & Refreshing Parody of the Sci-Fi Genre
Fresh off the success of the second entry in the celebratedCornettotrilogy’sHot Fuzz, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost continued to prove why they are two of the entertainment industry’s most exciting stars when they headlined the 2011 sci-fi comedyPaul. The fun and zany flick features an impressive castincluding Seth Rogen, Jason Bateman, and Bill Hader.The duo appear as British sci-fi lovers and comic book aficionados Graeme Willy and Clive Gollings, who travel to the U.S. to attend San Diego Comic-Con and visit UFO sites in hopes of spotting an extraterrestrial.
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Traveling in a rented RV through America’s UFO heartland,Graeme and Clive are flabbergasted when they stumble upon a real-life alien named Paul (Rogen).He had been staying at a top-secret military base for the past 60 years, only to escape the compound after having had enough of humanity. The fascinated nerds set out to help Paul return to his spaceship and planet, with the trio being relentlessly pursued by Secret Serviceman Agent Zoil (Bateman) and two bumbling rookies (Hader and Joe Lo Truglio), all of whom want to capture Paul before he can make it home.
‘Paul’ Becomes an Underrated Comedy by Pegg & Frost
Despite feeling as though it perfectly fits intoEdgar Wright’s quirkyCornettotrilogy,Paulwas actually directed by fellow filmmaker Greg Mottola, who had previously helmed the popular comediesSuperbadandAdventureland. Pegg and Frost set out to create the movie as a tribute to theSteven Spielberg classicsClose Encounters of the Third KindandE.T. the Extra-Terrestrialas well as their other favorite sci-fi flicks, with Pegg saying of the inspiration behind the comedy, “For us, it was just about wanting to makeEasy Riderand put an alien in it. That was it.”
Unlike the Cornetto movies,Paulwas given a larger production budget of $40 million and featured the comedians enlisting the talents of a star-studded Hollywood cast, a stellar lineup that Frost called a “giant wish list of people” before adding, “it’s always nice to have a wish list of the best people you can possibly have and we were very lucky to get them and to have an opportunity to work with American us’s, so to speak.“Paulbrilliantly parodies the sci-fi genre and takes audiences on a wild road trip,with Pegg explaininghow it compares to other alien films:
“I think of all the alien films that have come out recently, and we do seem to be a part of a zeitgeist of alien cinema, I think thatPaulis probably the only one who would pass you a joint rather than shoot you in the head. The others seem to be slightly malignant andPaulis the only one that’s benevolent.”
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Released on August 19, 2025,Paulwas met with praise from both critics and fans, with the comedy going on to gross $98 million worldwide at the box office and garnering appreciation for its spirited performances and heartfelt homage to sci-fi films and geek culture. Though it may not be quite on the same level as their other hitslikeShaun of the DeadandHot Fuzz,the film nonetheless showcases the effortless chemistry between Pegg and Frost and how the two comedians can hilariously play off one another in any situation or storyline.
In the 14 years sincePaul’s premiere, Frost and Pegg have gone on to collaborate in the filmsEnd of the WorldandSlaughterhouse Rulezand in the comedy horror seriesTruth Seekers,though both their devoted fanbase and the actors themselves are eager to see the charming duo reunite once again on screen. In a recent interviewwith The iPaper, Frost hinted at the possibility of working with Pegg and Wright for another future project:
“Our films are about how male friendships evolve as men get older.I think me and Simon [Pegg] and Edgar [Wright] will definitely do something else at some point. Even if we’re 60, it’s like, so how are these 60-year-old friends now? What’s their relationship like? And our audience will be 60 as well. We’ve all grown up together.”
