I guess it’s now time for us to witness the James Franco comeback. After a few years away from the public eye, thanks to some sexual misconduct allegations stemming from his time as a teacher at an acting school, Franco has found his next gig in the upcoming drama, “Me, You.”

READ MORE: James Franco Opens Up About Sexual Misconduct Allegations & Talks About Fractured Seth Rogen Friendship

According to THR, James Franco has signed on to star alongside Tom Hollander and Daisy Jacob in the upcoming film, “Me, You.” Adapted from the novel, “Tu, Mia,” by author Erri De Luca, the new film follows the story of a young teen in the 1950s who sails alongside a “hardened fisherman” (played by Franco) and eventually becomes entranced by a young woman (Jacob).

Continue reading ‘Me, You’: James Franco To Make His Acting Comeback In Bille August’s New Drama at The Playlist.

Unlike Chris Rock, fellow comedian and Oscars co-host Amy Schumer didn’t hold back with her opinions on The Slap during her stand-up comedy show at the Mirage Theater in Las Vegas on Saturday. This comes after Schumer said she was “traumatized” and “triggered” by Will Smith assaulting Rock at the Oscars in an Instagram post.

Excerpts from the weekend gig were picked up by Vanity Fair, as the popular comic referred to Smith as “Ali,” the famed boxer he plays in the Michael Mann film, and how the slap was an example of “toxic masculinity.”

“I was kind of feeling myself…and then all of a sudden Ali was making his way up.

Continue reading Yikes: Amy Schumer Shares Awful, Rejected Oscars Joke About Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ Shooting at The Playlist.

Like most projects in Hollywood, the new Hulu series, “Pam & Tommy,” had previously been in development for years. And as you might expect, there were a lot of different iterations of the limited series well before filming began, including one instance where James Franco was eyed for one of the lead roles.

READ MORE: The 70 Most Anticipated TV Shows & Mini-Series Of 2022

In the new Variety profile about the Hulu series, “Pam & Tommy,” which tells the incredible true story of how the Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson sex tape was leaked on the internet in the ‘90s, there are stories about how the show came together.

Continue reading ‘Pam & Tommy’: Producers Originally Wanted James Franco For Tommy Lee Role at The Playlist.

Outside of his role on “The Deuce,” James Franco has largely been absent from mainstream films and TV projects over the past few years. This, of course, is a result of the sexual misconduct allegations against him during his time as an acting teacher years ago. But now, after a long time out of the spotlight, Franco has decided to begin his comeback tour.

In the interview with Jess Cagle on SiriusXM (see below), James Franco addressed the sexual misconduct allegations against him.

Continue reading James Franco Opens Up About Sexual Misconduct Allegations & Talks About Fractured Seth Rogen Friendship at The Playlist.

In his new memoir, “Yearbook,” Seth Rogen shares several stories about his life and career in Hollywood as an actor, writer, producer, and director. And though he’s spoken briefly about his ‘Green Hornet’ interaction with Nicolas Cage, during a new interview with Howard Stern, Rogen goes deeper into his wild meeting with Cage and why the actor eventually accused him of stealing an idea for a character.

Continue reading Nicolas Cage Accused Seth Rogen Of Stealing His Idea For A ‘Green Hornet’ Villain For ‘Spring Breakers’ at The Playlist.

For several years now, James Franco has been effectively blacklisted by many Hollywood studios due to several sexual misconduct allegations that arose over the years, including one from a woman that said she was underage when the actor reached out to her on social media. Obviously, when it comes to these sorts of allegations, the accused is typically out of the spotlight, as they should be given the severity of the claims. However, we never really get to see what happens behind the scenes with someone like Franco and all of his Hollywood friends, such as Seth Rogen.

Continue reading Seth Rogen Regrets Joking About James Franco Abuse Claims & Has No Plans To Work Together In The Future at The Playlist.

Actress Charlyne Yi has spoken out about her experiences working on the 2017 film “The Disaster Artist,” which James Franco directed and Yi says she tried to quit because of the accusations of sexual misconduct against Franco.

READ MORE: Ray Fisher Says WB Only Offered Him “Cameo” Money For A Two-Week Shoot On ‘The Flash’

In an Instagram post earlier this week, Yi, who played costume designer Safowa Bright-Asare in the film, called out not just Franco, but specifically producer Seth Rogen, accusing him of enabling Franco’s behavior.

Continue reading Charlyne Yi Says She Tried To Quit ‘The Disaster Artist’ Over James Franco Allegations at The Playlist.

We live in an era of filmmaking where studios are constantly seeking new franchises to build. And even if a film does moderately well at the box office, a sequel is often greenlit and developed, no matter if it’s a terrible idea or not. But sometimes, a film is released and finds an audience, but the filmmakers associated just can’t seem to get a sequel going, as is apparently the case with the 2008 film, “Pineapple Express.”

In a new interview with LAD Bible, Judd Apatow, who helped develop and produce “Pineapple Express, said that he’s been trying to get a sequel to his stoner buddy comedy made for years, but there hasn’t been much movement on it.

Continue reading Judd Apatow Has An “Amazing” ‘Pineapple Express’ Sequel In Mind That “Deserves To Happen” at The Playlist.

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything really from James Franco, as he’s been laying low since sexual misconduct allegations arose in 2018. Since then, he’s appeared in a few films, as well as the HBO series, “The Deuce,” but much like Casey Affleck, Franco has stayed out of the public eye for the most part. That’s probably partially because he’s involved in a legal battle with accusers that claim he took advantage of them while teaching an acting course.

Continue reading James Franco Says Misconduct Claims Are A Result Of Accusers Jumping On The #MeToo “Bandwagon” at The Playlist.

As this maddening list attests—one that nearly broke us trying to order “properly”—putting together a Best of Decade list is dangerous work. There’s just a million factors to consider, a million people and look, we anguish and anguish and at the end of the day it’s all arbitrary anyhow, so don’t give us shit!

READ MORE: 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2020

As the 100 Best Films of The 2010s Decade proved, no matter what you claim about the state of cinema and the sky is falling, the best of the best was unimpeachable.

Continue reading The Best Film Performances Of The Decade [2010s] at The Playlist.

When HBO first announced that David Simon, the man responsible for “The Wire,” was teaming up with an all-star cast, led by Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Franco, for a period series about the porn industry, TV fans were very excited. However, after a critically-acclaimed first season, a dark cloud hung over the series moving forward, as allegations of misconduct were made against Franco, putting the entire future of the series in jeopardy.

Continue reading ‘The Deuce’ Creator Defends Decision To Keep James Franco & Why It Was Vital For The Show’s Ending at The Playlist.

Previously, during the heyday of Disney animated films, the idea that an animated film featured an all-star cast was silly. Look at most of the pre-2000 Disney animated films, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find star-studded outings. Sometimes, there would be one or two stars, but definitely not more than that. Nowadays, however, you can’t have an animated film without at least a half dozen stars. It’s become so commonplace that even films like “Arctic Dogs” will be chock full of strong vocal talent.

Continue reading ‘Arctic Dogs’ Trailer: Jeremy Renner, Anjelica Huston, Alec Baldwin & James Franco Lead This Animated Film You Probably Didn’t Know Existed at The Playlist.

There’s a scene early in “Zeroville” where Seth Rogen, playing a thinly disguised movie-version of John Milius, trolls Ali MacGraw on the Paramount lot during the shoot for “Love Story.” Later, Milius (referred to as “Viking Man” in a likely effort to keep Milius’ lawyers at bay) takes the film’s main character to a beach party where fellow aspiring filmmakers named Stevie and Marty talk about their ideas for a killer shark movie or a New York cabbie story.

Continue reading ‘Zeroville’: Travis Bickle Meets ‘Forrest Gump’ With Mixed Results In James Franco’s Long-Delayed Film [Review] at The Playlist.

The final season of “The Deuce” is coming. But is the end a bit premature?

Despite a TV landscape with series regularly getting 4 or 5 seasons, with some going into the teens, the HBO series is only just about to enter its third season. “The Deuce” has attracted critical acclaim since it first dropped in 2017. This is why it came as a surprise to many when it was announced that Season 3 would be its last.

Continue reading ‘The Deuce’ Final Season Trailer: HBO’s Acclaimed Drama Is Back for One Last Round at The Playlist.

Sometimes there’s a film that falls between the cracks and doesn’t make much of an impact when it debuts at a film festival, even if the project is written by a big-time filmmaker, directed by a huge name, and has an impressive cast. Case in point — “The Pretenders.”

The plot for ‘Pretenders’ is pretty easy to sum up. A film student meets a girl that makes a huge impact on his life.

Continue reading ‘The Pretenders’ Trailer: We Just Can’t Keep Up With All These James Franco-Directed Films Anymore at The Playlist.

A strange thing happened way back when. Actor James Franco, possessed with the need to be a crazy multi-hyphenate, actor/writer/director/producer, poet, you name it, was directing film after film at a rapid pace. And an extraordinary speed considering how much of an in-demand actor he has been—Franco has 39 directing credits on IMDB. He’s only slowed down slightly. Between 2005 and 2019, Franco directed a whopping 16 feature films, many of them micro-budgeted, not all of them actually theatrically released (and there’s two more on the way not out yet).

Continue reading ‘Zeroville’ Trailer: James Franco’s Lost Film With Megan Fox & Seth Rogen Finally Gets Teased at The Playlist.

Gene Goldman’s (Luke Kirby) announcement of the Midtown Enforcement Project at the end of season two of all but signals the end of life as they know it for certain business happening on 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth. Streetwalkers are about to get mighty scarce, and police looking the other way will see their pockets padded no more. Gloria Gaynor closed out the ‘70s saying she would survive, but—as the saying goes—all good things must come to an end.

Continue reading ‘The Deuce’ Season 3 Teaser Trailer: Times Square’s American Sex Trade Faces Dying Days at The Playlist.

After being purchased way back in 2015, James Franco’s “Zeroville” has been collecting dust on the shelf, waiting for distribution. And now, four years after its debut, the film is finally hitting theaters thanks to myCinema.

Announced at CinemaCon (via Deadline), Franco’s lost film was picked up by the online distribution company myCinema and will be hitting select theaters this fall. For those that don’t remember, “Zeroville” tells the story of a young actor, with dreams of superstardom, who moves to LA and has to navigate the changing industry.

Continue reading ‘Zeroville’: James Franco’s Lost Film Starring Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell & More Will Finally Hit Theaters In September at The Playlist.

James Franco has been one of the more famous actors to get hit by #MeToo allegations. The exact nature of what he is accused of can be found in a variety of places, but needless to say, the things that Franco is alleged to have done are pretty horrible, and just recently, he had yet another allegation thrown at him from “Freaks and Geeks” co-star Busy Phillips.

Continue reading Maggie Gyllenhaal Says Canceling ‘The Deuce’ After James Franco Accusations Is “The Wrong Consequence” at The Playlist.

The 56th Annual New York Film Festival is upon us once again, gifting the cinematic landscape with thrilling and compelling films carefully curated from all over the world.  Last year’s favorites included “Call Me By Your Name” and “Lady Bird,” the latter of which went onto become A24’s highest grossing film and earn not one but five Academy Award nominations.  This year is no different, the festival will unleash future classics like “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” directed by the Coen Brothers, the sweeping Mexican epic “ROMA,” the latest effort by Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuaron.

Continue reading New York Film Festival: 15 Must-See Films To Watch at The Playlist.

If a network wants to hire a guy to create, produce, and write a series that’s going to be on the air for a decade, then David Simon is not your guy. Though he did get his start on the show “Homicide: Life on the Street,” he was not responsible for much of the creative decisions, as the series was based on his life and novel of the same name.

Continue reading David Simon’s ‘The Deuce’ Renewed For A Third And Final Season By HBO at The Playlist.

The Bingeworthy™ Breakdown is an occasional look at new TV shows. An estimated 500 scripted seasons of TV will air in 2018, and to help you sort the wheat from the chaff, we’re going to give you the lowdown to help you work out whether it’s worth tuning in every week for them or waiting to binge later. Today we look at HBO’s just-debuted new season of “The Deuce.”

READ MORE: 10 TV Shows To Watch In September

Season Two of George Pelecanos and David Simon’s “The Deuce” is still about porn in the ’70s, right?

Continue reading Bingeworthy Breakdown: Maggie Gyllenhaal & James Franco Return In Impressive ‘The Deuce’ Season Two at The Playlist.

These are confusing, topsy-turvy times to be a film critic. Exhibit A: “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.” This is a film by Oscar-winning, laurel-laden critical darlings (and personal favorites) the Coen Brothers that everyone somehow kept forgetting about within the context of this Venice Film Festival lineup. It is a title co-produced by current industry savior Annapurna Pictures and current industry bête noire Netflix.

Continue reading ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ Presents The Best & Worst Of The Coens In A Perplexing Package [Venice Review] at The Playlist.

There’s been a lot of questions surrounding the upcoming season of HBO’s “The Deuce.” Not just because the first season received critical acclaim and a Golden Globes nomination for star Maggie Gyllenhaal, either. No, the second season of “The Deuce” has had a little controversy as HBO has decided to move forward with the series’ star James Franco after the actor came under fire in recent months for alleged sexual misconduct.

Regardless of the behind-the-scenes drama, the second season of HBO’s hit series looks to be hitting the ground running based on the most recent trailer.

Continue reading ‘The Deuce’ Season 2 Trailer: New York’s Sex Industry Comes Under Attack at The Playlist.

Gird your polyester jumpsuits and afros. “The Deuce” is back and, this time, taking a time jump to tackle the days of 1978’s “punk, disco, and porn.” “The Deuce” follows the legalization of the porn industry and the rise of the drug epidemic.

The first season of “The Deuce” premiered last year to critical acclaim, with many people praising the directing and CGI recreating the sets. In our Bingeworthy Breakdown, we called show co-creator and executive producer David Simon “bit of a genius” and that the show was very reminiscent of his previous hit “The Wire.” Simon’s knack for taking his time to slowly unspool stories at their own pace definitely shows.

Continue reading ‘The Deuce’ Season 2 Trailer: Porn & Sex Are Still Paying The Bills at The Playlist.