Actor/filmmaker James Franco had had a long and successful career, including an Oscar nomination for his role in 127 Hours. But around four years ago a variety of sexual misconduct allegations against him were made, resulting in a break from onscreen appearances. And following these allegations and recently doing interviews again, Franco has quietly landed a new acting gig.
James Franco has been laying relatively low since the various sexual misconduct allegations came from former girlfriends, students, and even co-stars like Charlyne Yi. His most recent major appearance in the media was a viral interview with Sirius XM’s Jess Cagle, where he addressed some of those allegations and his professional fallout. But EW has reported that Franco has booked another major movie role: Bille August’s coming-of-age period piece Me, You.
According to this report, James Franco will be playing a fisherman named Nicola in the upcoming movie, which might have the potential to begin a comeback for the 44 year-old former Oscars host. After all, he seemingly hasn’t filmed anything new since 2019. He’ll be starring in Me, You opposite Tom Hollander and Daisy Jacob. Franco provided a statement about this new gig, saying:
I am excited to board this phenomenal project and to be working with the legendary Bille August. I’m a huge fan of his work, and Me, You is a truly brilliant script.
This new role for James Franco is sure to turn a few heads, especially since it’s the first one he’s landed since the sexual misconduct allegations came out. Franco’s behavior came to light in 2018, when five women accused him of being inappropriate when he was serving as their mentor or teacher. Two of those students eventually sued Franco, with the Spider-Man actor ultimately settling and later admitting to sleeping with students.
The fallout continued when The Disaster Artist actor Charlyne Yi revealed that after trying to quit the project thanks to working with Franco, production offered to make their role larger. Yi thought this was a bribe to keep her silent, accusing Seth Rogen of being an enabler. Rogen later said he likely wouldn’t work with James Franco again in the future, despite their years of collaboration.
It should be interesting to see how James Franco ultimately performs, and whether the Pineapple Express actor is able to achieve a full-fledged Hollywood comeback. He likely won’t have the same people to work with, with his role in Me, You seemingly showing off his more serious side. The period piece should presumably require Franco to disappear into his role, and not use his typical sense of humor from more contemporary characters.
Me, You doesn’t currently have a release date, but is expected to arrive sometime in 2023. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.