The inspiration for making "Pineapple Express", according to producer Judd Apatow, was Brad Pitt's character in "True Romance", a stoner named Floyd. Apatow "thought it would be funny to make a movie in which you follow that character out of his apartment and watch him get chased by bad guys". According to Rogen, the ideal production budget was $40 million, but due to the subject matter—"because it's a weed movie", as he described it—Sony Pictures allotted $25 million. The film is named after a real cannabis strain called Pineapple Express.