'22 Jump Street' starts shooting in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Principal photography has begun in New Orleans on the action comedy "22 Jump Street," Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures announced Monday.

Again co-starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, the movie is the sequel to the 2012 blockbuster "21 Jump Street."

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are co-directing the film, which was based on the popular television series "21 Jump Street" that was created by Patrick Hasburgh and Stephen J. Cannell and ran from 1987 to 1991.

"We were all so thrilled by the irreverent humor and the chemistry between Channing and Jonah as we sent them back to high school in the first film," producer Neal H. Moritz said in a statement Monday. "So, of course, we just had to send them to college. It's also great to have Chris and Phil back at the helm. From the get-go, they have had the perfect pulse on the material, and have created an unforgettable cop buddy team in Schmidt and Jenko."

"Buddies who work together is a topic that is close to home for us. We're looking forward to working with Channing and Jonah, Neal and our friends at Sony again to take these guys' relationship to the next level," Lord and Miller said in a joint statement.