James Franco's first studio film since #MeToo settlement to get U.S. distribution
James Franco's first studio movie since his 2021 sexual harassment settlement has secured domestic distribution.
The Palo Alto native stars in the true-crime thriller 'Golden State Killer,' which will be released via Lionsgate Films' longtime horror genre partner Grindstone Entertainment Group. The film, starring Vincent Gallo as the title character, is also on sale this week at the Cannes Film Festival market, according to Deadline, which first reported the news.
The movie tells the true story of Joseph James De Angelo, who committed at least 13 murders, 51 rapes and 120 burglaries throughout California beginning in the 1970s before being arrested in 2018. Franco plays the detective who tracks the notorious killer.
The project, written and directed by Vito Brown, has already been mired in controversy since allegations of misconduct by Gallo during auditions in November 2023 surfaced last year.
Two actresses accused Gallo of discussing his 'torture porn fantasies' as they auditioned for roles as victims of the killer, according to a 2024 report by Rolling Stone. After complaints were filed to SAG-AFTRA, the union said it was committed to ensuring a safe and respectful environment on all film sets. A spokesperson for the film also said that a union intimacy coordinator had been hired.
Franco's upcoming movies 'Bunny-Man' and 'Alina of Cuba: La Hija Rebelde' (in which he plays Cuban dictator Fidel Castro) are in post-production. But the Academy Award-nominated actor hasn't appeared in a studio movie since a $2.2 million lawsuit brought against him by four former students at his Los Angeles acting school, Studio 4, who accused him of sexual misconduct. In the 2021 settlement, he admitted it was 'wrong' to have sex with his students.
The first public allegations against Franco related to his acting school surfaced in January 2018, at the dawn of the #MeToo movement. Franco had recently appeared at the Golden Globes wearing a pin advertising the Time's Up campaign, which stood against such harassment.
Meanwhile, Franco's brother, actor and filmmaker Dave Franco, is dealing with his own legal troubles. He and his wife Alison Brie were hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Man injured in suspected gas explosion at house
Derbyshire Police said it was called to a suspected gas explosion at a house in Alvaston, Derby, at 19:24 BST on Tuesday The force said one man had been taken to hospital, but the extent of his injuries is unknown Photos show major damage to a terraced property in Eden Street "Substantial damage" has been caused to up to four properties One dog with some injuries was rescued overnight Man injured in suspected gas explosion at house
Hypebeast
an hour ago
- Hypebeast
Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal Face Off in Trailer for Ari Aster's 'Eddington'
Summary A24debuted the official trailer forAri Aster's upcoming contemporary Western,Eddington. Set during May 2020, the film stars Joaquin Phoenix as the sheriff and Pedro Pascal as the mayor of Eddington, New Mexico. A fiery standoff between the two divides the residents of its town, causing what seems like violent encounters. Joining Phoenix and Pascal in the cast are Luke Grimes, Deirdre O'Connell, Micheal Ward, with Austin Butler and Emma Stone. The film premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and will have its second premiere in Sydney this June. Watch the trailer theaters July 18.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Paramount Cutting Another 3.5% Of Its Domestic Workforce, Citing Linear TV Declines And Broader Economy
Paramount Global, which last year shed 15% of its U.S. workforce, said Tuesday it will reduce it by another 3.5%. The cuts will take effect Tuesday, according to a memo from Co-CEOs George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy and Brian Robbins that was obtained by Deadline. More from Deadline Paramount Global CFO Naveen Chopra Is Departing '60 Minutes' Correspondent Scott Pelley Says Trump Lawsuit Settlement & Apology Would Be "Very Damaging" To Reputation Of CBS And Paramount Shari Redstone Reveals She Is Undergoing Treatment For Thyroid Cancer 'As we navigate the continued industry-wide linear declines and dynamic macro-economic environment, while prioritizing investments in our growing streaming business, we are taking the hard, but necessary steps to further streamline our organization starting this week,' the execs wrote. Paramount is still in a protracted waiting game as it looks to close its $8 billion merger with Skydance Media. The transaction was proposed last summer and needs only the approval of the FCC in order to close, but it now appears unlikely to close in the first half of the year as the companies had projected. President Donald Trump's crusade against the media (in this case CBS News) is holding up the deal despite the fact that Paramount controlling shareholder Shari Redstone and Skydance backer Larry Ellison are longtime Trump supporters. Along with filing a $20 billion lawsuit over routine business activities at 60 Minutes, Trump's appointee to chair the FCC, Brendan Carr, has slow-walked the agency's review of the merger. While mediation talks are ongoing in the lawsuit, hopes have not recently been high for a near-term settlement. While the new layoffs are targeting domestic workers, the Co-CEOs said they 'may also result in some impacts to our workforce outside the U.S. over time.' At the end of 2024, Paramount had 18,600 global employees, with Tuesday's cutbacks affecting several hundred in the U.S. As opposed to the multi-phase layoffs last year, which were announced in the summer and wrapped by year-end, the new round is taking effect Tuesday. 'We recognize how difficult this is and are very thankful for everyone's hard work and contributions,' the CEOs wrote. 'These changes are necessary to address the environment we are operating in and best position Paramount for success.' The shrinking of Paramount's workforce reflects contraction across the entire media sector, with Disney recently announcing a fresh round of cuts as companies reckon with cord-cutting's hit to their pay-TV revenues. Best of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds A Full Timeline Of Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni's 'It Ends With Us' Feud In Court, Online & In The Media Where To Watch All The 'John Wick' Movies: Streamers That Have All Four Films Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
