Judging by box office returns and critical reception for This Is 40 (read ours), Judd Apatow's latest directorial effort is a good litmus test for determining whether or not you're a fan of his insightful, sketch-oriented comedies about the modern living and personal challenges facing middle-class (or higher) Americans of a certain age.

That's to say: you probably already know whether or not a third installment in the loosely-structured Knocked Up trilogy sounds appealing to you. Either way, Apatow is considering such a film, shifting the focus off married couple Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) and moving it onto their budding teenage daughter Sadie (Maude Apatow).

During a recent interview with Getty Images Entertainment (via Hey U Guys), Apatow was questioned about the prospect of a sequel to This Is 40. He admitted to being intrigued by the idea, referencing French New Wave icon Francois Truffaut and his semi-auto-biographical series about the fictional Antoine Doinel (beginning with The 400 Blows) - in terms of how they explore the ongoing experiences of the same characters:

“Yes… because I like the series that Truffaut made where he revisited the same character five different times in five different movies. I think it’s fun to see people grow up. I’m interested in it with Leslie (Mann) and Paul (Rudd)’s characters… Pete and Debbie… but I’m even more interested in [Maude and Iris' characters]."

Obviously, Apatow continuing to collaborate with both his wife and kids on future projects has its personal benefits. Nonetheless, many critics gave Mann and the Apatow girls the highest marks among the This Is 40 cast, so this is one example where nepotism works in favor of the final artistic product. Similar, their changing ages mean the third installment won't just be recycling what's been shown before.

“When we first met Maude’s character, Sadie, she was 8-years-old, she didn’t understand where babies come from and know we see her five years later and she’s just cursing and screaming and having teenager problems so I’m thinking that maybe in the next one she’s in college…

“…or maybe I’m just lazy and this is a great way to make home movies…”

This Is 40 Reviews (2012)

Shifting the spotlight onto Sadie would allow the third film to both draw in the core Apatow demographic - whose owns kids may also be coming of age (or will in the foreseeable future) - and broaden its appeal to anyone who can relate to bordering on adulthood in the 21st century (be they in the same category themselves or just past). Moreover, it would return Apatow to his roots of making emotionally-honest comedy about young people, as in the TV series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared. So, all in all, it doesn't sound like a bad idea - to me, anyway.

Are you interested in a followup to Knocked Up and This Is 40? Let us know in the comments section.

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Source: Getty Images Entertainment (via Hey U Guys)