James Franco has been drawing all kinds of attention lately. From his Oscar-buzzing turn in Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours, to his art-house invocation of Allen Ginsberg in Howl, to his stint on the long-running soap opera General Hospital, to his pursuit of four simultaneous masters degrees, to dressing like a lady, Franco’s been all over the news.
On the film front, he’s recently acquired the rights to The Adderall Diaries, the Stephen Elliot memoir of covering a twisted murder trial, and is in the process of scripting an adaptation of Charles Bukowski’s Ham on Rye, a semi-autobiographical tale, and Broken Tower, a biography of poet, Hart Crane. So, while many of Franco’s choices of late have been surprising, his decision to option The Holy Land, a memoir of author D.H. Waldie’s childhood in the possibly perfect suburb of 1950’s Lakewood, California, seems as almost obvious choice.
Playlist notes that Franco discovered the book while studying at UCLA, and it “stuck” with him. However, with award season approaching, Franco’s likely to be busy promoting 127 Hours – as well as tackling course work and possibly returning to General Hospital. Meaning, it’s hard to say when the project may go into production.
In the meantime, you can keep an eye out for Franco’s Saturday Night, a documentary about the long-running sketch show, Saturday Night Live. And in 2011, you can see him in Your Highness, Rise of the Apes, and The Iceman.
Man, with a schedule like this, no wonder he flunked his acting class!
Which James Franco project are you most looking forward to?