The Watch (previously known as Neighborhood Watch)is a 2012 science fiction comedy film directed by Akiva Schaffer and written by Jared Stern, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. It stars Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and Richard Ayoade. The film follows Evan (Stiller), Bob (Vaughn), Franklin (Hill), and Jamarcus (Ayoade), a group of neighbors who form a suburban neighborhood watch group. When they uncover an alien plot that threatens the world, they are forced into action.
The film began development in 2008 under producer Shawn Levy as a teen-audience targeted project written by Jared Stern. Between 2009 and late 2010, the project saw different directors and stars join the project, until November 2010, when it moved in a new direction under Rogen and Goldberg who rewrote the script aiming towards an adult-oriented audience. Filming began in October 2011, in the state of Georgia and concluded in January 2012.
The film's marketing campaign was affected by the 2012 shooting of Trayvon Martin by a neighborhood watch member. As a result the campaign was refocused on the alien premise instead of the film leads, and the film name was changed from Neighborhood Watch to The Watch. The film was released on July 27, 2012 in North America. It received generally negative reviews, with criticism focused on the plot, frequent "vulgar and offensive" jokes and product placement. The lead cast were more positively received.
