Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (released in some international markets as Harold & Kumar Get the Munchies) is a 2004 American buddy stoner comedy film directed by Danny Leiner, written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, and starring John Cho, Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris, Anthony Anderson and Fred Willard. The first installment in the Harold & Kumar franchise, the film follows Harold Lee (Cho) and Kumar Patel (Penn) on their adventure to a White Castle restaurant after smoking marijuana. Hurwitz and Schlossberg developed Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle based on experiences and people from when they attended Randolph High School. The filmmakers received license permission from White Castle in 2002.