Amanda Seyfried will reportedly star in comedy sequel 'Ted 2'

Amanda Seyfried will reportedly star in Seth MacFarlane's sequel to his 2012 comedy hit. Amanda Seyfried is also starring in Seth MacFarlane's Western comedy 'A Million Ways to Die in the West.'

Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane’s very R-Rated comedy/parody of the western genre A Million Ways to Die in the West arrives this May, though his fans won’t have to wait too long thereafter for his next directorial feature. The MacFarlane comedy sequel Ted 2 is currently scheduled to hit theaters in Summer 2015, with Mark Wahlberg set to return as John Bennett, alongside his “Thunder Buddy for Life” – the CGI walking, talking and misbehaving teddy bear Ted (voiced by MacFarlane, in Peter Griffin mode).

There are neither any official nor heavily-rumored plot details for the Ted sequel right now, though that has less to do with MacFarlane being secretive and more to do with the project still being firmly in pre-production (before filming begins, mostly likely in the summer). Nevertheless, we have a casting update to share, which raises some questions about what will transpire plot-wise in MacFarlane’s next undertaking.

Deadline is reporting that Amanda Seyfried (fresh off collaborating with MacFarlane on A Million Ways…) has been cast as the female lead in Ted 2, while Wahlberg’s costar in the first movie, Mila Kunis – MacFarlane’s longtime collaborator, who also voices Meg on Family Guy – is expected to only play a small role in the sequel (assuming she appears at all). However, in order to stem any gossip about MacFarlane and Kunis feuding in real-life, the Deadline article emphasizes that the pair “remain close” and Kunis’ reduced presence in Ted 2 is simply the result of a “creative decision” MacFarlane has made, with regard to the film’s plot.

Ted concluded with John (Wahlberg) finally shaping up and marrying his devoted girlfriend Lori (Kunis), though that doesn’t necessarily mean the pair will be divorced or separated – or that Seyfried will play John’s new girlfriend – in Ted 2. One alternative potential scenario would be for the sequel to follow John and Ted on a “boys only” trip or vacation, wherein they get up to a variety of misdeeds (something like Seth MacFarlane’s The Hangover, basically), while John ends up dealing with a newfound temptation in the form of Seyfried’s character.

That’s just one possible route for the Ted sequel to take, and there’s a more-than reasonable chance that the movie will head in a completely different direction altogether. Regardless, some narrative along those lines would allow the sequel to continue developing both the bro-mance and the adult-male-coming-of-age aspects featured in its predecessor

Seyfried, for her part, seems to be pretty good at earning laughs, though that’s only based on the few occasions where she has been used in a significant capacity in previous Hollywood comedy vehicles. Indeed, she appears to have a knack for the kind of timing and verbal delivery that MacFarlane’s school of comedy has traditionally demanded.

The trailers for A Million Ways to Die in the West that have been released so far have highlighted Charlize Theron as the straight-(wo)man opposite MacFarlane – in addition to having showcased Sarah Silverman’s raunchy gags and monologues – so it remains to be seen how MacFarlane ended up using Seyfried for comedic effect in his Blazing Saddles-esque comedy – and thus, hint at how she might once again be used to generate chuckles in Ted 2.

Sandy Schaefer blogs at Screen Rant.