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Seth Rogen was hired to try and make 'Dolittle' funny

Robert Downey Jr's Dolittle performance was roundly attacked (Image by Universal)
Robert Downey Jr's Dolittle performance was roundly attacked (Image by Universal)

Seth Rogen has confirmed previous speculation that he was hired to try and make the script for Dolittle funnier.

Rogen admitted as much during his recent appearance on Howard Stern’s Sirius XM radio show, saying that he was brought in as a script doctor because, “They were having problems with the movie and were calling in people to help kind of get to the bottom of it.”

Read More: 'Dolittle’s' terrible ending was apparently Robert Downey Jr’s idea

Stern was immediately intrigued by the idea of being brought in to try and fix someone else’s film, with Rogen agreeing that it is a very nice position to be in.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 08: Seth Rogen speaks onstage during the 33rd American Cinematheque Award Presentation Honoring Charlize Theron at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on November 08, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 08: Seth Rogen speaks onstage during the 33rd American Cinematheque Award Presentation Honoring Charlize Theron at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on November 08, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

“On the grand scale of being a writer, it’s a cushy position to be in. Stakes are low for you in that role, which is nice, but also you want to help. I like movies and I like the actors in that movie. I genuinely want to make things better if I can.”

Unfortunately for Rogen his adjustments to Dolittle didn’t really help its critical or financial performance. While it grossed $236 million (£180 million) at the box office, it cost at least $175 million (£133 million) to make, and is believed to have lost Universal as much as $100 million (£76 million)

Read More: Robert Downey Jr's first post-Avengers movie 'Dolittle' is getting panned

At the same time it was roundly attacked by critics, so much so that it only amassed a score of 14% on Rotten Tomatoes.

But despite the obvious problems with the film, Rogen didn’t want to be the latest person to attack Dolittle, instead telling Stern, "I will only say this because it was reported and I will tread lightly because I am close with many of the people involved, but I did that [helped rewrite the script] on the Dr. Dolittle film a little bit.”