Wiseau-Films
We’ve already determined that the cinematic marriage of James Franco and The Disaster Artist, actor Greg Sestero’s account of whatever the hell happened during the making of Tommy Wiseau’s infamously bad (and infamously beloved) The Room is a match made in weirdo heaven and, quite frankly, we didn’t expect that any other bit of news about the film would delight us more than that Franco teaming. Unless, of course, there was another Franco teaming involved.
Yup, The Disaster Artist isn’t going to start just one Franco – it will now star two. 3News reports (via The Film Stage) that James Franco’s own baby brother (and current comedic rising star) Dave Franco will also star in the film, playing the Greg Sestero (and reportedly the true lead of the feature) to James’ Tommy Wiseau. Could this possibly get even more weirdly perfect?
The outlet picked up the news during one of the famously lively screenings of The Room in Los Angeles, held this weekend, when Dave reportedly stood up during a Q&A session and asked Wiseau, “Tommy, how do you feel about me playing Greg Sestero in the movie?” Wiseau, ever-chatty, deemed it a “good choice.” Such high praise! (I can personally attest that, while Wiseau’s Q&As are always entertaining, they are also so hyperactively delivered that it’s kind of amazing that Franco even got to deliver his question without Wiseau zipping out the door.)
Later in the evening, Wiseau doled out still more effusive praise, sharing that he’s only read about half of Sestero’s book and, “Greg is a talented guy, but you know, whatever.” Snort. Throw a spoon. Yell.
The Franco siblings have previously starred together in a handful of films, including Gus Van Sant’s Milk and James’ own The Sound and the Fury (which is currently in post-production), but The Disaster Artist will mark a big departure for the duo, as the pair are the unquestionable stars of the feature and will likely appear in the majority of its scenes together. It sounds bizarre and amazing, and Dave is a solid pick for the role – he’s someone who already knows how to play straight man to his brother’s own wacky whims, and that sort of chemistry should serve both of them quite well.
And, while this isn’t something that truly matters when it comes to films about real people, Dave sure looks like a younger Sestero, at least when it comes to basic facial structure, and Sestero’s lighter locks mean we’re probably due to see Franco with a bad bleach job. That alone is worth the price of admission.
James Franco is also directing the film (of course), with a script adapted from Sestero and Tom Bissell’s book of the same name by Ryan Moody, best known for shorts like Last Call and Love Sick. There is no word on who else we can expect to see in the film just yet, though we can’t wait to see who Franco snares to star as Li – “You’re tearing me apart!” – sa. Any ideas?
There’s no word on when we can expect to see The Disaster Artist in theaters, and both Franco brothers are quite busy (James has seven projects in development, and that’s just on the directorial side, while Dave is in big demand), but the film will be having its twelfth anniversary next June, so perhaps they can aim for sometime around then (yes, The Room is, somehow, already a decade old).
Related Topics: James Franco
