‘Jewtopia’ spawns book and film

BRYAN FOGEL and Sam Wolfson made a deal with their parents before the pair’s self-created comedy, “Jewtopia,” opened at the Coast Playhouse in West Hollywood in 2003. If it flopped, no more showbiz.

The satire about friends -- one Jewish, one not -- who want to date outside their religion sold out for 17 months, then moved to New York for a two-year-and-counting Off Broadway run at Westside Arts Theatre, despite mixed to negative reviews.

Fogel and Wolfson’s newly minted tome, “Jewtopia: The Book” -- “a full-color, wacked-out illustrated guide to everything from Moses’ lost diaries to alternative themes for your bar mitzvah,” Fogel said -- was just published by Warner Books.

The latest chapter in the pair’s saga is a film project, announced this week, loosely based on their show. Producer Tucker Tooley has optioned “Chris O’Connell and Adam Lipschitz Lose Their Religion,” with filming expected to begin in February. Foley and Wolfson will write the screenplay and star, reprising their “Jewtopia” characters.

“And we’re going on ‘The View’ in a couple of weeks,” Fogel said. “It’s crazy.” It’s also quiet on the family front. No more ultimatums. “Our parents are having a ball,” Wolfson said.

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Lynne Heffley