Tuesday, MTV posted an interview with actor James Franco in which he announced plans to tackle James Ellroy’s AMERICAN TABLOID. Franco would not only star, but direct.
“We are behind, and below, the scenes of JFK’s presidential election, the Bay of Pigs, the assassination–in the underworld that connects Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, D.C. . . .
Where the CIA, the Mob, J. Edgar Hoover, Howard Hughes, Jimmy Hoffa, Cuban political exiles, and various loose cannons conspire in a covert anarchy . . .
Where the right drugs, the right amount of cash, the right murder, buys a moment of a man’s loyalty . . .
Where three renegade law-enforcement officers–a former L.A. cop and two FBI agents–are shaping events with the virulence of their greed and hatred, riding full-blast shotgun into history. . . . “
AMERICAN TABLOID has been kicked around for a number of years. Several years back, Tom Hanks was developing it for HBO. Prior to that Bruce Willis held the rights. It is worth noting that even Franco admits that it is noting more than a plan right now, with nothing really in place. Franco is best known for SPIDER MAN and RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. He will soon be seen in OZ, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (as OZ) and will play Hugh Hefner in LOVELACE.
