In the pantheon of American serial killers, few names carry as much weight (and dread) as the Golden State Killer. For decades, Joseph James DeAngelo, a former cop also known as the Original Night Stalker, the East Area Rapist, and the Visalia Ransacker, treated the state of California as a personal playground. Now, James Franco and Vincent Gallo are making a movie about the killer at the center of one of the best true crime docs ever released.

Titled Golden State Killer (formerly, The Policeman), the upcoming crime flick will see the two controversial actors take on one of the most notorious criminals of all time. However, there’s one behind-the-scenes mystery I need solved, and it has to do with the film’s director. Let me explain.

James Franco And Vincent Gallo Leading A Movie About The Golden State Killer Wasn't On My Bingo Card

When I first read a Deadline article in May 2025 reporting that Lionsgate was releasing a movie about the Golden State Killer with Vincent Gallo playing the lead role and James Franco as a detective on the case, I didn’t know what to think. I certainly didn’t have these two at the heart of a serial killer movie on my bingo card. Yet, here we are.

Details are slim, but the movie was in post-production at the time of the Deadline piece. While it’s unlikely this will drop on the 2025 movie schedule (there are only two months to go before the end of the year), we could see this hitting the big screen with other 2026 movies.

Now about that mystery I need solved…

But This Business About The Film's Mystery Director Is Quite Baffling

While Golden State Killer was initially going to be the directorial debut of Jordan Gertner, the producer behind movies like The Virgin Suicides and Spring Breakers, Deadline reported in May 2025 that those duties had shifted over to Vito Brown at some point. Have you heard of Brown before? No? Well, you’re not alone.

Shortly after this news broke, The Film Stage published a story about Golden State Killer and its mystery director, pointing out that he may, in fact, be Vincent Gallo working under a pseudonym. Digging through Gallo’s IMDb page, the outlet mentioned that he played a character called Vito Brown in Claire Denis’ Keep It for Yourself, the similarly named Vincenzo Brown in Nenette and Boni, and various other takes on the “Brown” name in films like his project, Buffalo ‘66. Not only that, he made the highly-controversial 2003 film titled… The Brown Bunny.

Or, could this be a situation where Gertner remained on the project (shooting has wrapped), but doesn’t want his name on it any longer? Back in January 2024, Deadline reported that SAG-AFTRA was looking into claims made by actresses alleging that Gallo made lewd and inappropriate comments during the audition process, but I’m not sure if that has had any impact on this “Vito Brown” situation.

It’s not all that rare for directors to use pseudonyms over the years, as everyone from Sam Raimi to David O. Russell to John Hughes all utilized fake names in the past. That said, this business with Golden State Killer is still something I need solved.

Typically, actors will work their hardest to promote a film to the best of their ability... at first, that is. Sometimes, years (or months) after said movie releases, the stars will not hold back on their true feelings. See for yourself by taking a look at some of the, so-called, worst movies starring famous actors who would admit that even they agree with the most brutal critiques.

Ben Affleck (Daredevil)

Most would agree that he is one of the best live-action Batman actors, but Ben Affleck’s first stab at playing a superhero in 2003 was not very well received. The actor himself wasn't pleased either, as he told EW (via E!) that he agrees Daredevil “didn’t work, at all.” However, he later explained that what he appreciates about DD is that his commitment to accurately portraying Matt Murdock’s blindness paid off, at least.

Christian Bale (Newsies)

Newsies — a musical retelling of the 1899 New York newsboy strike — was a flop for Disney in 1992 but gained a cult following that star Christian Bale is not a part of. He told EW that the “wounds” he feels he suffered from starring in it healed over time. We suppose leading some great live-action Batman movies and winning an Oscar for The Fighter helped him as well. 

Halle Berry (Catwoman) 

When Halle Berry accepted her Razzie for Worst Actress of 2004 for Catwoman in person, she was one of the few actors to do so and thanked Warner Bros. for putting her in such a “god-awful movie.” At least the actor — who also has an Oscar for Monster’s Ball and a few well-received comic book movies under her belt (the X-Men movies) — has a sense of humor about starring in a DC movie that even John Rogers, one of its writers, thinks is bad.

Josh Brolin (Jonah Hex)

Future MCU and Deadpool 2 star Josh Brolin made his comic book movie debut in 2010 as the titular character in the DC Comics-inspired Western, Jonah Hex. The actor (and star of one of the best Neo-Westerns and, simply, best movies of the 2000s, No Country for Old Men) later told CBR (via CinemaBlend) that he would remake it if he had the chance, as he was not happy with how it turned out.

Sandra Bullock (Speed 2: Cruise Control)

Speed is considered one of the best action movies of all time, but Speed 2: Cruise Control is not remembered so fondly by most, including star Sandra Bullock. The Oscar winner brought up the 1997 sequel — which is set on a cruise ship — when asked by TooFab about movies she was initially embarrassed by before coming around later. However she never actually changed her tune on this one.

George Clooney (Batman & Robin)

While there are some people who actually do enjoy Batman & Robin, George Clooney — who played Bruce Wayne in the 1997 flop — is not one of them. On The Graham Norton Show, the Oscar winner talked about his propensity to constantly apologize for, as he believed at the time, ruining the Dark Knight’s big screen legacy forever, before Christopher Nolan saved it.

Sean Connery (The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen)

It's a shame to learn that an actor is not proud of their final live-action acting credit and such is the case with the late Sean Connery and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The former James Bond actor recalled in a 2007 interview unearthed by Heat Vision (via THR) how he tried to salvage the 2003 Alan Moore adaptation in the editing room and described director Stephen Norrington as insane.

David Cross (Alvin And The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked)

According to The Washington Post, David Cross once felt the need to defend his participation in 2007’s Alvin and the Chipmunks, but he wasn't so kind about its 2011 threequel. During an appearance on Conan, the comedian recalled his “miserable” experience making Chipwrecked and recommended that the audience that was present not see the family film.

Viola Davis (The Help)

Even though her performance as 1960s Mississippi maid Abilene expanded her notoriety and earned her an Oscar nomination, Viola Davis regrets starring in 2011’s The Help. As she told Vanity Fair, “there’s a part of me that feels like I betrayed myself, and my people, because I was in a movie that wasn’t ready to [tell the whole truth]” and was “created in the filter and the cesspool of systemic racism.” 

Colin Farrell (Miami Vice)

When Michael Mann brought Miami Vice to the big screen in 2006, the action flick did not get the best reviews, based on its Rotten Tomatoes score of 47%. Lead actor Colin Farrell wasn’t too hot on it either, revealing to Total Film (via Far Out) that he “didn’t like it so much,” adding he felt it was “style over substance." Additionally, he even accepts some of the responsibility for that.

Crispin Glover (Back To The Future)

How could anyone dislike one of the best time travel movies ever made, 1985's Back to the Future? Well, George McFly actor Crispin Glover told AV Club that he felt the ending — which saw Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly return to an alternate present in which his family is rich — sent a misguided message, which is why he opted not to appear in the sequels.

Alec Guinness (Star Wars)

The Force was not strong with the Star Wars movies’ original Obi-Wan Kenobi actor, Alec Guinness, apparently. In 1975, the Oscar winner wrote a letter to his friend, Anne Kaufman — which was quoted in his biography and republished by Business Insider in 2013 — describing George Lucas’ script as “fairy-tale rubbish.”

Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up)

In 2008, Knocked Up cast member Katherine Heigl told Vanity Fair that it was “hard for [her] to love the movie,” as she believed it portrayed women in an unfavorable light. While the 2007 comedy is still remembered as one of the best Judd Apatow movies, the former Grey’s Anatomy cast member’s honest comments about sexism would have a negative impact on her career, unfortunately.

Bob Hoskins (Super Mario Bros.)

In 2011, the late Bob Hoskins was asked by The Guardian about his worst job, biggest disappointment, and element he would edit out from his past? His answer to each question was the infamous video game movie adaptation, Super Mario Bros., from 1993.

Jennifer Lawrence (Passengers)

Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence revealed to The New York Times that Adele actually recommended she should say “no” to 2016’s Passengers — in which she and Chris Pratt's characters wake up from a commercial interplanetary journey way too early. Lawrence then said she wished she hadn't ignored the advice from the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter.

Lindsay Lohan (I Know Who Killed Me)

According to a 2013 report by The Daily Mail, Lindsay Lohan was once tweeted at by a fan who told her she had watched I Know Who Killed Me twice the night before. The Parent Trap star replied by saying this fan had watched the 2007 psychological thriller “two times too many.”

Bill Murray (Garfield)

When Bill Murray said he regretted making Garfield during his iconic Zombieland cameo, that was not just a joke. In fact, it was during an interview with GQ that Murray said the only reason he agreed to voice the 2004 live-action movie’s titular cat was because he thought one of the Coen Brothers was writing it, only to learn too late that the scribe was Joel Cohen.

Paul Newman (The Silver Chalice)

According to the Irish Film Institute, Paul Newman’s choice for the “worst motion picture produced during the 1950s” was his screen acting debut: The Silver Chalice. Despite his feelings about it, the late, legendary actor actually received a “Most Promising Newcomer” Golden Globe nomination for playing the Holy Grail’s sculptor in the 1954 drama.

Robert Pattinson (Twilight)

There's no denying that playing Edward Cullen in the Twilight movies made Robert Pattinson the star he is now, but that doesn't change the fact that he's not big on the films. His 2011 interview with Vanity Fair, in which he says “representing something you don’t particularly like” is “weird” in reference to the teen vampire romance stories, is just one of many times the Batman actor has admitted to this.

Christopher Plummer (The Sound Of Music)

When asked about his most challenging role during a roundtable interview with THR, Christopher Plummer’s answer was Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music. His reasoning was nothing akin to Julie Andrews’ rough time shooting the iconic hill sequence, but was that he found the beloved 1965 musical itself to be “so awful and sentimental and gooey.”

Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern)

Has an actor ever been more shamelessly and frequently vocal about their disdain for their own work than Ryan Reynolds with Green Lantern? Most recently, Reynolds shared his horrified reaction to the 2009 DC flick at London’s Just for Laughs festival in 2023 (according to The Independent). But his most public and unapologetic expression of disappointment can be seen in both Deadpool movies.

Arnold Schwarzenegger (Red Sonja)

While recognized as a cult favorite today, Red Sonja — which is being rebooted — is certainly not a film Arnold Schwarzenegger would call one of his best movies. In fact, the former California governor is quoted in Far Out as saying that he used to punish his children by forcing them to watch the 1985 comic book adaptation, which stars Brigette Nielsen as the titular warrior.

Sylvester Stallone (Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot) 

Apparently, Sylvester Stallone has Arnold Schwarzenegger to blame for his decision to star in Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, which the Rocky star later told Ain’t It Cool News was “one of the worst movies in the entire solar system.” According to SlashFilm, the Terminator star revealed he tricked his then-rival, Stallone, into signing on for the panned 1992 comedy by feigning interest in the script.

Channing Tatum (G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra)

Radio host Howard Stern once named G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra as guest Channing Tatum’s star-making moment. In turn, Tatum bluntly admitted he hates the 2009 cinematic adaptation of the action figure line, claiming he was “pushed into” making it by Paramount. That explains why he requested to be killed off in the 2013 sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation.

Charlize Theron (Reindeer Games)

Academy Award winner Charlize Theron did not hold back when telling Esquire that she believes 2000’s Reindeer Games is a “bad, bad, bad movie.” However, she does not regret starring in the Ben Affleck-led Christmas action flick, as it a gave her the chance to work with director John Frankenheimer.

Mark Wahlberg (The Happening)

On a ranked list of M. Night Shyamalan movies, most people might put The Happening at a pretty low spot, including one of its stars. During a press conference for The Fighter, Mark Wahlberg admitted that he does not like The Happening either in an expletive-filled tirade. This came after he revealed that Amy Adams was up for Zooey Deschanel’s part in the unintentionally hilarious 2009 disaster thriller.

Sam Worthington (Clash Of The Titans)

Despite the fact that 2010's Clash of the Titans remake is one of his bigger hits outside of the Avatar movies, Sam Worthington is not a fan. He revealed to IndieWire that he put the blame on his “bland performance” as Perseus and promised to make up for it with the 2012 sequel, Wrath of the Titans.

Gwyneth Paltrow (Shallow Hal)

When Gwyneth Paltrow tested her friend and assistant Kevin Keating’s knowledge of her for a video on Netflix’s X account, he (almost) correctly names her least favorite performance of hers as Rosemary in Shallow Hal. The Academy Award winner and MCU star then describes the Farrelly Brothers’ 2001 fantasy rom-com, which also stars Jack Black, as a “disaster.”

Nicole Kidman (Australia)

Nicole Kidman revealed in an interview with a Sydney radio station (via Daily Mail) that she rarely watches her own movies but did attend the premiere of Australia, which reunited her with Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann. However, she found herself squirming in her seat over her performance in the 2009 romantic period drama, which paired her with Hugh Jackman.

Alec Baldwin (Rock Of Ages)

His fondness for director Adam Shankman and admiration for the all-star cast, including Tom Cruise and Catherine Zeta-Jones, convinced Alec Baldwin to star in Rock of Ages. However, as he revealed in a 2013 interview with American Magazine Media Conference in New York (via The Wrap), the 2012 movie based on a Broadway hit featuring ’80s rock tunes was a “complete disaster” in his eyes.

Brad Pitt (The Devil’s Own)

An action movie starring Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt sounds like a surefire success by those details alone but, as Pitt would share with Newsweek, The Devil’s Own is not all it's cracked up to be. Apparently, the 1997 thriller was a disaster from behind the scenes with the cast and crew being forced to make up the story as they went along after the previous “great script” was “tossed for various reasons.” In addition, Pitt and Ford couldn't get on the same page.

James Franco (Your Highness)

When James Franco jokes about not wanting to do a homemade sequel to 2011’s Your Highness in This is the End, he wasn't exactly kidding. The actor told GQ in 2013 that he thinks the medieval stoner comedy from director David Gordon Green “sucks."

Whether or not you agree with these celebrities’ opinion of their own films, you cannot deny that it takes guts for an actor to admit when one of their own films missed the mark in their eyes.

There are just as many great and popular Saturday Night Live sketches as there are segments that are not remembered quite as fondly. However, there also exists a strange middle ground of sketches that seem so one-note and infantile that we should feel like our time is wasted, but we don't. This is because the bizarre nature of the bit or even just one unique key component or moment makes it all feel enjoyable and worthwhile. We actually managed to come up with many examples of SNL sketches we believe you will enjoy while not quite understanding why.

Angelo (Season 47)

While he only made it one season on SNL, Aristotle Athari still had an ultra-memorable recurring character whose whole premise seemed like it would get old immediately after his Season 47 debut. Yet, somehow, international lounge singer Angelo’s improvisational songs — all nearly identical ramblings of gibberish — get big laughs every time. Maybe he truly is the genius they say he is.

SNL Digital Short: Anger Problem (Season 32) 

In their infancy, the SNL Digital Shorts were, dare we say, plagued by a shabbily random structure, like this one involving an unstable fast food manager (Fred Armisen), an exploding head mannequin, and a holiday greeting in the Lost font — supposedly in reference to host and Lost cast member Matthew Fox. Armisen’s commitment to every ludicrous threat at his employees — complete with an estimated time of attack — is what keeps this bit amusing.

Chandeliers (Season 31)

This sketch pokes fun at local ads for specialty shops from a few different angles — such as promoting the titular ceiling installation as the highway to a fancy lifestyle and an awkward attempt to include the store owners’ child (host Scarlett Johansson). Above all, however, the funniest part about the sketch might be Fred Armisen’s pronunciation of “chandelier” with a heavy Brooklyn accent.

SNL Digital Short: Daiquiri Girl (Season 33)

This Digital Short — framed as a creepy dude’s (Andy Samberg) poorly produced musical tribute to a woman who shares his love of daiquiris — kind of cheats its way onto this list. It apologetically acknowledges its own objective flaws with a cheeky text scroll explaining that musical guest Gnarls Barkley backed out of the original plan, forcing the creators to turn to alcohol for inspiration.

SNL Digital Short: The Date (Season 35) 

The joke here initially seems to be based on the unlikelihood of a woman, like host Megan Fox, dating a guy as strange as Will Forte’s character, until she appears to like him for being a S.W.A.T. team commander and his heart-wrenching confession about selling his pet lambs’ meat. The twist that even he would refuse to marry her is a bit predictable, but Forte’s unsettling manner of speaking and his tendency to turn his emotions on a dime at least keeps your attention.

Fart Face (Season 34)

When you establish the main idea of a sketch — in this case, a veteran office worker begrudgingly nicknamed “Fart Face” — and the audience responds with dead silence, you know you are in trouble, especially when this playground insult is repeated enough times to play a potentially fatal drinking game with. Leave it to host Josh Brolin to give the bit a slight boost by incorporating the same level of professionalism we have seen in all his best movies though to make it funny.

Haunted Elevator (Ft. David S. Pumpkins) (Season 42)

It is easy to understand why, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Tom Hanks was initially hesitant to play the very bewildering David S. Pumpkins. However, it is equally easy to see how the incomprehensibly charismatic goof instantly became one of Hanks’ most iconic SNL characters. After our first interaction with the silly character, he would also return with his skeleton friends (Bobby Moynihan and Mikey Day) in an animated Halloween special and a Season 48 sequel sketch. 

The Herlihy Boy House-Sitting Service (Season 19)

Sometimes, just putting Chris Farley and Adam Sandler on stage together was enough to ensure comedy gold. I think with any two other SNL cast members, this sketch — starring Sandler as a house-sitter desperate for work and Farley as his extremely supportive boss (or father or rehab sponsor, maybe?) — would have crumbled underneath its thin concept.

SNL Digital Short: Hey! (Murray Hill) (Season 34)

In the history of SNL Digital Shorts sending up modern teen TV dramas, some have been refreshingly clever (i.e., “Dear Sister"), while others offer nothing of the sort. Like this one in which the only joke is that James Franco’s character has a “tiny ding-dong.” If not for the Gossip Girl cast member Blake Lively’s rejuvenating cameo at the end, this Murray Hill episode would have been completely lost in obscurity.

Holes (Season 44)

This musical video in the style of a ‘90s power ballad is just a little too repetitive to earn the honor of being a classic, even with a guitar-shredding Adam Sander flashing some dirty, protrusive teeth for some reason. However, its concept about clothes technically counting as holes with the purpose of covering holes on the human anatomy is oddly fascinating.

I'll See You In Hell (Season 21)

By the end of this sketch — in which Joe (Jim Carrey) gets addicted to saying, “I’ll see you in Hell,” after its use on a thieving colleague earns him respect in the office — you’ll never want to hear the phrase again. That being said, Carrey keeps the one-joke bit somewhat fresh with a new take on the insult almost every time, and the final punchline is not bad either.

Joker Wedding (Season 48)

For the first half of this sketch — in which a Halloween wedding ceremony is nearly ruined by the best man (Andrew Dismukes) dressing as Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight — it seems like the only point is hearing “Joker” repeated ad nauseam. It takes a pretty fun turn, however, when the guests vote on his right to keep the costume Survivor-style, complete with a Jeff Probst cameo.

SNL Digital Short: Lettuce (Season 31)

While the legendary “Lazy Sunday” was The Lonely Island’s breakout SNL moment, their official, much-forgotten debut digital short was “Lettuce.” Honestly, we don’t blame anyone for subconsciously blocking out this bit — nothing more than Andy Samberg and Will Forte discussing a personal tragedy between big bites of leafy green vegetables — but if you can find it, you might find yourself unable to look away.

The Librarian (Season 42)

I imagine the pitch here was, “Let’s make Margot Robbie disgusting!” Well, we can’t say they didn’t nail it, and with some ideas that we truly did not see coming — eating a banana peel, “straight-up murder,” and the random appearance of Beck Bennett with a snake. Plus, setting the scenario to the iconic movie song, Yello’s “Oh Yeah,” from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is an inspired choice.

Meatballs (Season 47)

Maybe it is not entirely fair to call this pre-taped, partially musical bit “terrible” since the concept of a woman (Sarah Sherman) with singing meatballs on her skin is pretty inventive and heightened by the participation of host Oscar Isaac and musical guest Charlie XCX. It’s just that it’s pretty gross and, therefore, not the easiest thing to sit through for the more squeamish.

SNL Digital Short: My Testicles (Season 31)

The subject matter of this ‘90s dance music parody featuring a Right Said Fred-esque duo called Ariel (Andy Samberg) and Efrim (Tom Hanks) makes us thoroughly uncomfortable and their inability to rhyme a single lyric is cringeworthy. Yet, we cannot stop watching it and can’t help but chuckle every time.  

Rap Roundtable (Season 46)

Nunya Bizness (Ego Nwodim) hosts a panel of hip-hop artists including Queen Latifah (Punkie Johnson), Questlove (as himself), and a fresh, young duo (Pete Davidson and Timothée Chalamet) whose primary contribution to the conversation is the sounds “yeet” and “skirt.” Admittedly, some of their mindless ramblings earn a chuckle or two, but Questlove slapping Davidson and then striking Chalamet’s character with his hair pick are the most satisfying moments.

Ratatouille (Season 46)

In our opinion, the night John Krasinski hosted SNL for the first time was what we might call a “terrible, yet amazing” episode, especially with this sketch. It’s a far less kid-friendly take on one of the best Pixar movies, Ratatouille, and instead of a rat helping a man with his performance in the kitchen, this rat helps Krasinski’s character with his performance in bed.

SNL Digital Short: Roy Rules! (Season 32)

Early on, it’s easy to write off this musical short in which Andy Samberg professes his unhealthy attraction toward his sister’s husband, Roy, as an egregiously raunchy one-joke throwaway bit. However, you start to see the clip in a whole new light when Andy reveals the segment is a prank on his actual brother-in-law, as he confirmed in an IGN interview in 2012. 

Potato Chip (Season 35)

When choosing SNL sketches we believed were both terrible and amazing, the first one we thought of was this thoroughly peculiar bit in which an aspiring astronaut (Jason Sudeikis) blows his chance when he steals a potato chip from a NASA recruiter’s (Will Forte) desk. For one, everyone's commitment to this asinine concept — especially host Blake Lively — is legendary, but what really takes it over the edge is when Sudeikis physically returns the chip he ate.

Short Term Memory Loss Theater (Season 38)

This is one of those sketches that is actually enhanced — dare we say, saved — by someone who couldn't stop laughing during a sketch. In this case, it was Bill Hader as a doctor who must constantly assist his patients afflicted with short-term memory loss with their lines in a play. Otherwise, the joke might have gotten too old and too fast, leaving no bearing on our memory.

Spelling Bee (Season 31)

Will Forte plays a young spelling bee contestant so nervous that he spends well over a minute spouting random letters (mostly “q’s”) while attempting to spell the word “business.” It’s a very simple premise, but Forte’s stone-cold, deadpan delivery actually keeps it afloat, and the Tenacious D cameo is a perfect way to end it.

Suitcase Boy (Season 11)

In an otherwise forgettable moment from one of SNL’s most infamous seasons, Robert Downey Jr. performs a “confrontational monologue” while housed in a suitcase for no discernible reason. The one incoherent ramble we found unintentionally interesting was when the future MCU star mentioned that he learned why whales beach themselves from Spider-Man.

Technology Hump: Emma Stone (Season 37)

This sketch featuring Andy Samberg and host Emma Stone is actually just one edition of a recurring bit in which smartphones, cameras, and other forms of technology are used to simulate intimate romance scenarios. Why? We have no idea. Why do we find it entertaining? Still totally stumped.

Waking Up (Season 48)

Pedro Pascal could not help but laugh on SNL a few times during his hosting debut, including in this sketch in which he comes out of a coma with a strange new personality and an even stranger voice. While you could see the voice as a bit annoying, the dialogue maddeningly low-brow, and the entire concept pretty lifeless, it's honestly so hilarious, and that's because the Last of Us cast member makes it charming.

What The Hell Is That? (Season 5)

We have little interest in watching two brainless individuals take turns expressing their bewilderment over an unidentifiable object without any context. We do, however, love Bill Murray (seemingly debuting his Caddyshack character here) and Steve Martin (arguably the all-time greatest SNL host), whose collaboration saves this otherwise empty bit.

America's Funniest Pets (Season 42)

Cecily Strong and Kate McKinnon play hosts of a French show presenting funny homemade clips of domestic animals who prove to have a dark sense of humor (or lack thereof) when visiting its American version. What makes the mostly one-joke premise particularly memorable, however, is that the American host is Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard, portrayed with an overly-animated impersonation by a star of many Ron Howard movies, Tom Hanks.

Big Dumb Hat (Season 48)

This sketch, featuring host Amy Schumer, quickly begins to suffer from being as irritating as the titular fashion trend it is poking fun at. Luckily, it does earn some solid chuckles for a few jokes about the kind of people who do wear “Big Dumb Hats” that, as anyone who knows this kind of person can support, are pretty spot on.

Sarcasm 101 (Season 23)

Host Matthew Perry essentially plays Chandler Bing in this classroom sketch, technically making it one of three Friends parodies from this episode alone (including the monologue), for which we deduct points. Also, many of the funniest moments from this lesson in smart-alecky behavior come courtesy of the late Norm Macdonald, but in ways that almost seem unintentional from his broken cadence, giving the bit a thoroughly awkward aura.

Patrick Kelly and Gunther Kelly (Season 28)

This is actually one of several segments in which Patrick (Will Forte) and Gunther Kelly (Fred Armisen) appear on “Weekend Update” to inform people of a pressing topic with a song that actually offers no valuable information, save Forte’s ability to hit some crazy high notes. We chose to highlight this song asking viewers to “listen up” about SARS because, out of all their greatest hits, it is the weirdest and most irritating, but perhaps the biggest banger, too.

Steve's Beanie Babies (Season 47)

We’d call Lizzo a non-actor who nailed her SNL hosting gig, especially in how her uncontrollable laughter likely enhanced this sketch in which she plays the wife of a man (Andrew Dismukes) who freaks out after learning his Beanie Babies collection is worthless. The ensuing revelation of how he quit his job (talking through his butt like Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura) and ludicrous aspiration to make a living drawing Nintendo’s Mario feel so half-heartedly wedged in, but its the ludicrousness of the situation that also earns laughs.

In retrospect, maybe being a little awkward and bizarre is exactly what makes an SNL a classic.

James Franco has been making headlines more recently for actions outside of Hollywood than anything he’s done on the screen, including being connected to the ongoing legal battles of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, but the Disaster Artist actor appears to be putting that behind him as he has just picked up yet another new acting role after a period of inactivity.

James Franco’s last movie roles came in 2019. He appeared in the movie Zeroville, his directorial follow up to The Disaster Artist, and lent his voice to the animated feature Arctic Dogs. Since then, however, we haven’t seen much of Franco, at least in part because of a series of allegations against the actor, dating back to 2018, regarding alleged misconduct which have caused the former Oscar nominee to keep a low profile.

Now James Franco has had his name attached to a new movie role for the second time in as many months. A few weeks ago it was reported that Franco would be part of the cast of the coming-of-age drama Me, You, and now Deadline reports Franco will be playing Fidel Castro in the movie Alina of Cuba.

James Franco’s personal life has been much more in the headlines in recent years than his professional career. Franco was accused of sexual misconduct with students from his acting school. While now criminal charges were ever filed there were lawsuits filed against the actor that were settled out of court last year, with Franco’s side paying out a little over $2 million. The situation was bad enough that Seth Rogen, formerly a frequent collaborator, distanced himself from Franco. While the two have worked together often, it appears they no longer have any sort of working relationship.

James Franco did eventually admit to sleeping with students in his acting school. He says he has been through treatment for sex addiction. He spoke out in an interview at the end of 2021, in part because he wanted to take the pressure off others, like Rogen, who had found themselves the only ones talking about the allegations and the aftermath. 

In addition to the couple of roles that James Franco has recently picked up, he has other movies waiting in the wings. Two films Franco has already made, The Long Home, which Franco also directed, and Kill the Czar, are reportedly completed but have yet to be given release plans. He also has a third movie, Mace in pre-production.

It’s certainly not uncommon for actors who have been through legal battles and misconduct scandals to try and make a professional comeback, The big question will likely be how receptive the audience is to that comeback. If and when James Franco ends up back on the screen, will the audience be willing to welcome him back?

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:

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. 

Every once in a while, celebrity siblings - such as Ben and Casey Affleck or Dakota and Elle Fanning - end up sharing the screen together. Well, apparently it happens a little more often than just every once in a while, given the amount of examples we compiled below.

Jake And Maggie Gyllenhaal (A Dangerous Woman, Homegrown, Donnie Darko)

Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal and his twice-nominated older sister, Maggie, are in three movies together: 1993’s A Dangerous Woman, 1998’s Homegrown (both were directed by their father, Stephen), and the eventual sci-fi cult classic, Donnie Darko, in 2001.

Jeff And Beau Bridges (The Fabulous Baker Boys)

Oscar winner Jeff Bridges and his older brother, Beau, also played siblings in The Fabulous Baker Boys - a 1989 comedy in which the titular musicians become rivals after teaming up with a beautiful aspiring singer (Michelle Pfieffer).

Kate And Rooney Mara (Urban Legends: Bloody Mary)

Kate Mara of the House of Cards cast led the 2005 straight-to-video slasher, Urban Legends: Bloody Mary, in which her younger sister, Nightmare Alley’s Rooney Mara, made her acting debut.

Sean And Chris Penn (At Close Range)

Future two-time Oscar-winner Sean Penn and his late younger brother, Chris (best known from the Reservoir Dogs cast) played siblings in the 1986 crime thriller, At Close Range, starring Christopher Walken as their criminal father.

Andrew, Owen, And Luke Wilson (Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tenenbaums) 

Owen Wilson and his younger sibling, Luke have also acted alongside their eldest brother, Andrew, in 1996’s Bottle Rocket and The Royal Tenenbaums from 2001 - both of which Owen also co-wrote with director Wes Anderson.

Chris And Luke Hemsworth (Thor: Ragnarok)

Chris Hemsworth has yet to star in anything with his little bro, Liam, but the Australian Marvel movie star’s older bother, Westworld star Luke, did show up in Thor: Ragnarok as a dramatized version of the God of Thunder, whom he is set to reprise (along with Matt Damon as “Actor Loki”) in Thor: Love and Thunder.

Dylan And Cole Sprouse (Various)

Twin brothers Dylan and Cole Sprouse (the latter of which went on to join the Riverdale cast) have shared the same role in several TV shows (most notably Grace Under Fire) and movies (such as Big Daddy with Adam Sandler) and have played siblings just as often, most famously as the title characters of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, its spin-off The Suite Life on Deck, and 2011’s The Suite Life Movie.

Tia, Tamera, And Tahj Mowry  (Sister, Sister, Smart Guy, Seventeen Again)

Twin sisters Tia and Tamera Mowry have shared the screen with their little brother, Tahj, several times - most notably as guest stars on each other’s respective sitcoms, Sister, Sister and Smart Guy, and in the 2000 Showtime original movie, Seventeen Again.

James And Dave Franco (The Disaster Artist)

After years finding success in the business in separate projects, James Franco and his younger brother, Dave, played Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero of the infamous cult favorite, The Room, in the 2017 biopic, The Disaster Artist.

Hilary And Haylie Duff (Various)

Haylie Duff would appear on three episodes of her younger sister, Hilary’s, Disney Channel show, Lizzie McGuire, and provided the singing voice of Isabella Parigi in the theatrical spin-off before they both played a singing group on an episode of American Dreams, sisters in the 2006 rags-to-riches story Material Girls, and both leant their voices to the infamous animated movie Foodfight!, which was released in 2012.

Aly And AJ Michalka (Various)

Singer-songwriter duo Aly and AJ Michalka first shared the screen in the 2006 Disney Channel original movie Cow Belles as sisters, again in the MTV original Super Sweet 16: The Movie the next year as rivals, followed by three episodes of Aly’s CW series Hellcats in 2011 as half-sisters. Most recently, they appeared in the 2015 drama, Weepah Way For Now, as what appear to be fictionalized versions of themselves.

Dakota And Elle Fanning (I Am Sam, Taken)

Elle Fanning has portrayed a younger version of her older sister, Dakota, on two separate occasions: first in the 2001 drama I Am Sam and secondly in the Steven Spielberg-produced, Syfy original miniseries, Taken, in 2002.

Spencer And Abigail Breslin (Various)

Academy Award nominee Abigail and her older brother, Spencer, played siblings in both Raising Helen and The Princess Diaries 2: A Royal Engagement in 2004, played elves in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause in 2006, and later played cousins in the 2014 crime drama, Perfect Sisters.

Jason And Justine Bateman (Arrested Development)

Justine Bateman played her real-life brother, Jason's, sibling in the 1986 TV movie Can You Feel Me Dancing? and a sex worker whom Jason’s Michael Bluth mistakes for his long-lost sibling on Arrested Development.

John, Joan, Ann, And Bill Cusack (Grosse Pointe Blank)

While beloved star John Cusack and his Academy-nominated sister, Joan, have appeared in more films together than most celebrity siblings can claim (including Say Anything… and High Fidelity), the only screen credit that they also share with both their sister, Ann, and brother, Bill, is 1997’s Grosse Pointe Blank, which John also co-wrote and produced.

Bill And Brian Doyle Murray (Various) 

Bill Murray and his older brother, Brian, are both Saturday Night Live veterans (although at different times) and have several classic movies in common - including Caddyshack, Scrooged, Ghostbusters II, Groundhog Day, and The Razor's Edge.

Ben And Casey Affleck (Good Will Hunting, Chasing Amy)

Years before casting him in his amazing directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck shared the screen with his younger brother and fellow Oscar winner, Casey, in Good Will Hunting (which Ben co-wrote with Matt Damon) and Kevin Smith’s Chasing Amy in 1997.

Macaulay And Kieran Culkin (Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York)

Kieran Culkin (now more famous than ever since starring on HBO’s Succession) made his acting debut alongside his older brother (child megastar Macaulay Culkin) in 1990’s Home Alone cast as his cousin, Fuller - a role he would also reprise in the 1992 sequel.

Rory And Kieran Culkin (Igby Goes Down)

In addition to playing Macaulay’s younger self in Richie Rich, the youngest Culkin brother, Rory, also played a younger version of Kieran as the title role in 2002's Igby Goes Down.

The Wayans Siblings (Various) 

Where do we start with the Wayans Siblings? Well, for instance, several of them (such as Damon and Kim Wayans) were a part of the In Living Color cast with star and creator Keenen Ivory Wayans, who later directed his younger brothers, Marlon and Shawn, in movies like White Chicks, the first two Scary Movie installments, and Little Man.

Zooey And Emily Deschanel (Bones)

In Season 5 of Bones, star Emily Deschanel’s sister (Zooey of the Elf cast fame and later the lead of the New Girl cast) guest starred as Temperance Brennan’s second cousin, Margaret Whitesell.

Fred And Ben Savage (Little Monsters, The Wonder Years, Boy Meets World)

After playing siblings in the family-friendly horror film, Little Monsters, in 1989, Ben Savage made a guest appearance on his older brother, Fred’s, hit dramedy, The Wonder Years, in 1990 and later returned the favor by inviting him to the Boy Meets World cast for an episode in 1998.

Charlie Sheen And Emilio Estevez (Various)

After making several movies together - including Young Guns, Men At Work, and Rated X (the latter two of which Emilio Estevez directed), Charlie Sheen (née Carlos Estevez) reunited with his brother on an episode of his hit sitcom, Two and a Half Men, in 2008.

Vanessa and Laura Marano (Saving Zoë)

Both of these talented ladies had guest appearances on Dexter at different times in the series’ run, but Vanessa Marano and her younger sister, Laura, did appear together in the 2019 mystery, Saving Zoë, as siblings torn apart by one’s unsolved murder.

Nat And Alex Wolff (The Naked Brothers Band, Mr. Troop Mom, Stella’s Last Weekend)

Hereditary’s Alex Wolff and his older brother, Peacock’s Joe vs. Carole cast member Nat Wolff, both debuted as fictionalized versions of themselves in Nickelodeon’s faux rockumentary, The Naked Brothers Band, its series continuation, and the 2009 TV movie Mr. Troop Mom before reuniting in 2018’s Stella’s Last Weekend, which was written and directed by their mother, Polly Draper.

Vera And Taissa Farmiga (Higher Ground, At Middleton, The Nun)

Scream Queens Vera and Taissa Farmiga, who are often mistaken for mother and daughter, played mother and daughter in 2013’s At Middleton after Taissa previously played her older sister’s younger self in Vera’s 2011 directorial debut, Higher Ground. However, interestingly, their characters in the 2018 Conjuring spin-off, The Nun, have no apparent familial ties.

Maude And Iris Apatow (Knocked Up, This Is 40, Funny People)

Euphoria’s Maude Apatow and her younger sister, Iris, have played siblings in 2007’s Knocked Up, its “sort-of sequel” This is 40 from 2012, and 2009’s Funny People - all three of which also starred their real mother, Leslie Mann, as their mother, and were written and directed by their father, Judd Apatow.

Dan And Sarah Levy (Schitt’s Creek)

While Annie Murphy plays co-creator Dan Levy’s on-screen sister in the Schitt’s Creek cast, Café Tropical owner, Twyla Sands, is played by his real-life sister, Sarah.

Mary-Kate, Ashley, And Elizabeth Olsen (How The West Was Fun)

After Full House made the Olsen Twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley, household names and  before the Marvel movies made their younger sister, Elizabeth, an A-lister, all three of them appeared together in the ABC original TV movie How the West Was Fun in 1994.

Bill And Alexander Skarsgård (White Water Fury)

Years before his terrifying performance as Pennywise in It, Bill Skarsgård made his acting debut alongside his older brother, True Blood cast member Alexander, in the 2000 Swedish thriller, White Water Fury.

Blake And Robyn Lively (Simon Says)

Robyn Lively, star of 1989’s Teen Witch, shared the screen with her then up-and-coming half-sister, former Gossip Girl cast member Blake Lively, in a 2006 slasher flick called Simon Says, which also stars fellow ‘80s icon Crispin Glover.

Brian And Domhnall Gleeson (Mother!, Frank Of Ireland)

Despite plenty of years of experience between the them, it was not until 2017 when Star Wars star Domnhall Gleeson and his younger brother, Brian, shared the screen in Mother! before reuniting as co-creators and co-stars of the Amazon Prime original comedy Frank of Ireland - also starring their father, Brendan Gleeson.

Eddie And Charlie Murphy (Harlem Nights, Norbit)

Comedy icon Eddie Murphy worked behind the scenes a lot with his older brother, Charlie, who passed away in 2017, but the two would also share a few acting credits, - namely Eddie’s 1989 directorial debut Harlem Nights (also Charlie’s first movie), and in 2006’s Norbit, in which Charlie voiced a dog named Floyd.

Phylicia Rashad And Debbie Allen (The Cosby Show, Grey’s Anatomy, The Old Settler)

Phylicia Rashad and her younger sister, Emmy-winning dance legend Debbie Allen, have made guest appearances on each other’s shows - The Cosby Show, on which Rashad played Claire Huxtable, and Grey’s Anatomy, on which Allen plays Dr. Catherine Fox (née Avery) - and both starred in a 2001 TV movie called The Old Settler, which Allen also directed.

Ron And Clint Howard (Various) 

You can find Clint Howard in just about every movie directed by his brother, Ron Howard - including his feature-length directorial debut from 1977, Grand Theft Auto, which was also the brothers’ third time acting alongside each other after the 1963 film The Courtship of Eddie’s Father and a handful of episodes of The Andy Griffith Show.

Angelina Jolie And James Haven (Gia, Hell’s Kitchen, Original Sin)

Audiences probably remember Angelina Jolie’s brother, James Haven, better for other reasons than all the times he shared the screen with his younger sister - namely Gia and Hell’s Kitchen from 1998, and 2001’s Original Sin.

Jared And Shannon Leto (Various)

In addition to being bandmates with his young brother, Oscar winner Jared Leto, in 30 Seconds to Mars, Shannon Leto also shared the screen with him on a couple of episodes of My So-Called Life (on which Jared played the iconic Jordan Catalano) and through brief appearances in the movies Prefontaine from 1997, 1998’s Highway, and Sol Goode in 2003.

Chris And Scott Evans (Before We Go, Playing It Cool)

Former Captain America actor Chris Evans has a brother named Scott who has also appeared in two romantic-comedies from 2014 with his older sibling, called Before We Go (which Chris also directed) and Playing It Cool.

Sarah And Laura Silverman (The Sarah Silverman Program, Bob’s Burgers, Masters Of Sex)

Comedian and actress Sarah Silverman and her sister, Laura, played heavily fictionalized versions of themselves as series regulars on The Sarah Silverman Program, made guest appearances on Showtime’s Masters of Sex together, and have recurred on Bob’s Burgers as Jimmy Pesto’s twin sons, Andy and Ollie.

Kevin, Nick, And Joe Jonas (Camp Rock Movies, Jonas)

Back when they were the biggest thing to come out of Disney Channel, Kevin, Nick, and Joe Jonas played three brothers in a band not named the Jonas Brothers in the Camp Rock movies, and later played themselves to more comedic effect in their own sitcom, aptly titled Jonas.

Looks like talent really does run in the family.

Celebrity couples have been capturing the attention of the public for decades, and this trend is showing no signs of slowing down. Johnny Depp and Amber Heard know this all too well, as they’re constantly making headlines for the ongoing legal battle related to their divorce. And it looks like James Franco will be part of Depp and Heard’s legal battle after all.

James Franco’s name was first associated with the ongoing situation with Amber Heard and Johnny Depp after there were reports of him dating the Aquaman star back in 2016. And now it turns out that he’s been subpoenaed in association with Depp’s ongoing defamation lawsuit against his ex-partner. We’ll just have to wait and see how this ultimately shakes down at the courts.

This latest update comes to us from Page Six, and is sure to turn a few heads. James Franco is expected to sit in courts early this year, and testify to his relationship with Amber Heard. Specifically, whether or not he had a relationship with her while she was still married to the Pirates of the Caribbean actor. Depp’s team is also reportedly interested in whether or not Franco ever saw any bruises on her, as Heard has alleged physical abuse against him.

For those unfamiliar, the libel lawsuit comes from Johnny Depp’s team in response to an op-ed Amber Heard wrote back in 2018 where she claimed she was a victim of domestic violence. While the Magic Mike XXL actress didn’t actually name her ex-husband, Depp maintains it was clearly in reference to him. 

James Franco was seemingly brought into the legal proceedings when 2016 surveillance footage showed him entering an elevator with Amber Heard. According to Johnny Depp, this was 24 hours after the couple had a blow out, she claimed Depp gave her a black eye. Add in the rumors of Franco’s affair with her, and the Pineapple Express actor has become a key part to the situation. We’ll just have to wait and see how it ultimately goes down in court.

Of course, this isn't the first time that James Franco has been connected with the long and grueling legal battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. The former couple previously faced off in the U.K. Courts, where Depp attempted to sue The Sun for referring to him as a “wife beater.” On Day 2 of court, he claimed he was uncomfortable with Franco’s relationship to his ex, and even referred to the 127 Hours actor as “rapey.” 

The legal feud between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp has been going on for years, and clearly is showing no signs of slowing down now that the proceedings have come stateside. We’ll just have to wait and see how things shake out; smart money says there’s going to be plenty more headlines and allegations in the coming months. 

Amber Heard will appear in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom on December 16th. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Earlier this week, James Franco did a bombshell interview with Sirius XM’s Jess Cagle. He spoke out on a variety of topics, including sobriety, sex addiction, sleeping with students while teaching and his current relationship (or lack thereof) with his former working partner Seth Rogen. Amidst those comments, though, he explained the reason he is finally speaking out after 2018 accusations.

In fact, over the past several years, James Franco has been silent about allegations of sexual misconduct at his acting school. The actor was never formally charged with anything, but was embroiled in a lengthy lawsuit that ended earlier in 2021 when Franco and others involved agreed to pay out a little over $2 million. 

It’s been six months since the lawsuit was settled, but the actor says he wanted to speak out now simply because he does not want people who know him or formerly knew him to have to speak for him. This includes his brother Dave Franco and the aforementioned Rogen. He spoke with Jess Cagle about why Seth Rogen spoke out, noting:

What James Franco is referring to are some comments made by Seth Rogen just before the lawsuit was settled. Back in May of 2021, Rogen was asked about his current relationship with his Freaks and Geeks and Pineapple Express (among other projects) co-star. Rogen said at the time he does not have any plans to work with his former collaborator right now, a fact Franco also confirmed. He’s not the only person who gets asked about this though. James Franco in particular mentioned his brother Dave Franco, a famous actor in his own right. 

Dave Franco’s been asked about his famous brother for much of his career. The two worked together on several projects, and in 2017 said it took a long time for that to happen simply because he didn’t want to ride on his brothers “coattails.” Apparently, this goes the other way as well, as he’s been dealing with the fallout of what happened with his famous brother, as well. 

James Franco didn’t just explain the reason why he was speaking out now, he actually got into detail on a variety of topics and mistakes he feels he made. Noting he went to treatment and got sober, he said that led to an addiction to sex. He also admitted that he slept with students during his tenure at the acting school, where the allegations of misconduct took place, though he said in the interview that at the time he justified the behavior as OK since it was “consensual.” 

James Franco says he didn’t speak out for a long time because he thought it was time “to pause” after the allegations, revealing he didn’t think it was “the right time to say anything.” Meanwhile, his career has somewhat stalled since the allegations came to light. His TV series The Deuce was cancelled after Season 2.  The allegations also led his Oscars hopeful movie The Disaster Artist (also featuring Seth Rogen) to fall out of favor before the Academy Awards that year. Prior to this interview, the actor most recently made headlines for being roped into the legal drama between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. 

James Franco has been off the grid following a string of sexual misconduct allegations that were made against him back in 2018. Since that time, his former frequent co-star Seth Rogen has gone about his own business and made a number of great projects, such as An American Pickle and The Boys. During that time, it’s not surprising that Rogen was asked about his working relationship with Franco. Earlier this year, the actor/writer/producer shared that he had no plans to work with his Pineapple Express co-lead. Now for the first time in four years, Franco is attempting to clear the air with the public. 

On Wednesday, James Franco spoke with Sirius XM’s Jess Cagle about his sexual misconduct allegations, and in the midst of this, he responded to Seth Rogen’s comments about their working relationship. In Franco’s words: 

James Franco shared to Jess Cagle that one of the “main reasons” he asked to speak on the podcast was because his colleagues, like Seth Rogen, and his brother Dave Franco have been placed in the uncomfortable position of speaking for him. When the allegations were made against Franco, the actor recalled deciding he was “going to be quiet” due to so much negative attention being aimed toward him. But now he’s ready to speak to his past head on. While speaking about Rogen, Franco also said this: 

In early 2021, Seth Rogen said that he despises abuse and harassment, and “would never cover or conceal the actions of someone doing it” or “knowingly put someone in a situation where they were around someone like that” in reference to not working with James Franco. Since the allegations were made, Franco hasn’t really worked with anyone. 

During his conversation on The Jess Cagle Podcast, James Franco spoke to his sex addiction, sharing that after getting sober, he found addiction in sex, calling it “such a powerful drug and I got hooked on it.” He got candid about cheating on “everyone,” being “completely blind to power dynamics” and “people’s feelings” until he decided to work on himself these past few years. 

James Franco’s sexual misconduct allegations first popped up in 2014 when a 17-year-old girl shared screenshots of messages between her and Franco, which had the then 35-year-old asking to meet her at a hotel room despite knowing her age. Franco admitted the messages were real, even joking about it at the time (in New York, the legal consent age is 17). In 2018, a number of women accused James Franco of misconduct, including Freaks and Geeks co-star Busy Philipps and students at the college where he taught film classes as a professor. In the podcast, Franco also admitted that he “did sleep with students” while he held a teaching position. 

Earlier this year, James Franco agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit led by two former students of his acting school, granting them $2.2 million after previously denying their allegations of being sexually exploited and victims of fraud by his now-closed school. If any more major news items concerning Franco come in, we'll let you  know.

Celebrity divorces are known for capturing the attention of the public, and Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s split is certainly no exception. Their legal battle has already lasted years, and is showing no signs of slowing down. But could Elon Musk, who once challenged Depp to a cage fight, end up testifying in the court case with Heard?

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s divorce has made countless headlines over the years, as the two both allege abuse against the other. Along the way Elon Musk was brought into the conversation, as he dated Heard after the former couple’s split. He also ended up challenging Depp to a cage fight, and now it looks like Musk was once again brought into the court.

This latest update comes to us from Us Weekly, with the outlet citing legal documents they procured. Both Elon Musk and actor James Franco were reportedly subpoenaed on October 26 with relation to Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s case. Regarding their correspondence with the Aquaman actress, they’re required to “produce the books, record, electronically stored information and tangible things designated and described.” Specifically, the courts are looking for communication about Heard’s alleged abuse of physical harm by Depp. 

It remains to be seen if Elon Musk will have to actually testify in court. But with both he and James Franco seemingly becoming more crucial to the ongoing litigation, it doesn’t seem totally out of the question. As for the cage fight, that seems a bit more unlikely. Musk and Franco reportedly have until January 17th, 2022 to cooperate with the investigation.

The situation with Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's is ever changing, as both have legal teams that are making great efforts to discredit the other. Depp’s lawyers seem to be zeroing in on the claims Heard made of physical abuse, specifically photos of the actress with a bruised face. They’ve alleged that the photo might have been digitally altered. And the information from Elon Musk and James Franco will seemingly help to establish a timeline.

As previously mentioned, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have been sparring in the courtroom for a number of years now. They famously faced off across the pond when Depp sued The Sun for referring to him as a “wife beater.” The Pirates of the Caribbean actor lost that battle, and was promptly asked to step down from his role as Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise.

But now the former couple are in court stateside, and things seem to be heating up. It remains to be seen if Elon Musk has a significant role to play in the proceedings, but all eyes are on the litigation between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. 

Amber Heard is currently filming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom which is set to arrive in theaters on December 16th, 2022. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

In recent years we've seen several men in Hollywood facing legal repercussions for alleged sexual misconduct. In some cases this has resulted in jail time for the offenders, but the legal dealings of actor James Franco of late have been somewhat unique. Namely because the actor has never been charged with a crime, but instead was dealing with a class action lawsuit brought by students of an acting school he ran. Alleged sexual misconduct was still at the heart of the lawsuit, but now the suit has reportedly been settled, with Franco and others paying out more than $2 million.

According to THR, James Franco and "associated entities" have agreed to pay a total of $2,235,000 to the various members of the lawsuit that was brought against Franco and his Studio 4 acting school. The lawsuit alleged that female students were forced to participate in increasingly explicit sex scenes on camera as part of a class. This is part of an out of court settlement and still needs to be approved by a Los Angeles judge.

Because this was a class action suit rather than a more traditional civil action, we know more about the inner workings than we likely otherwise would. Normally, the parties aren't required to publicly disclose the terms of a settlement, but the rules are different for a class action. We even know how the various parties will be paid out from the settlement. Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal, the two named plaintiffs in the suit, will receive $670,500 and $223,500 respectively, minus legal fees. The rest will be divided among the remaining parties, again, minus legal fees.

The settlement also includes the release of a statements by the defendants which, while it continues to deny the allegations, does state that the lawsuit has raised important issues and that the mistreatment of women in Hollywood is a topic that needs to be addressed.

Members of the class action suit have a couple of months to make the decision to accept the settlement and release their claims of fraud against the actor, or reject the settlement and move forward with their own separate legal claims. Any money that's left unclaimed will be donated to the National Women’s Law Center.

James Franco has been dealing with allegations of sexual misconduct that date back to at least 2018. Recently, Franco's frequent collaborator Seth Rogen made it clear that he has distanced himself from the actor due to the allegations. While not admitting to any wrong doing, it will be interesting to see where Franco's career goes from here. He's been less in the public eye of late. He was previously set to direct and co-star in the upcoming Pam & Tommy series for Hulu, but at some point he left the project, though the reason why has never been specified.

In the last few years we've seen several major stars, both in front of the camera and behind it, accused of using their positions of power to perpetuate abuse. In some cases we've seen actual criminal charges filed and even prison sentences. One major name that has come up not infrequently in these conversations is James Franco. The actor has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women and Seth Rogen, who has worked with Franco several times, and previously stated he would continue to do so, now says he has no plans to work with the actor again.

Speaking with The Sunday Times (via Variety), Seth Rogen now says that he regrets a joke he made on Saturday Night Live in 2014 where he made light of allegations made by a 17-year-old girl that James Franco had attempted to meet her. He also says that, while he said in 2018 that he would continue to work with Franco, he has not worked with the actor recently and has no plans to do so. According to Rogen...

Following the initial allegations made by the 17-year-old, several other women came forward in 2018, after James Franco was seen wearing a Time's Up pin at the Golden Globes. A class action suit was brought against Fraco in 2019 by former members of an acting school run by the actor. Franco was accused of forcing students to perform explicit sex scenes on camera. Franco has denied all allegations against him and the lawsuit was settled out of court earlier this year.

Seth Rogen is clear that his separation from James Franco professionally is absolutely because of the allegations against him, and not some sort of coincidence. And it's not just the professional relationship that has changed. Rogen admits that the situation has changed their personal relationship as well, though he doesn't really go into details about what that means. Ultimately, it seems that Rogen felt he had to cut ties with the actor because he wouldn't feel right potentially putting somebody in a bad situation. Rogen goes on...

The duo have at least one project left that has yet to be released where they did work together, as both are producers on the Pam & Tommy miniseries for Hulu.

With a COVID-19 era Academy Awards show before us this weekend, it’s ample time to look back on an Oscars telecast fans of the show love to hate. I’m referring to the 2011 Oscars hosted by Anne Hathaway and James Franco. It’s now been ten years since the young actors took the stage and ushered in a long night full of awkward jokes and uneven chemistry. It fares even worse now that we’ve learned who could have been front and center.

One writer behind the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, David Wild, recently reflected on Anne Hathaway and James Franco’s infamous telecast with regret. Because as he remembers it, Justin Timberlake was the “first unofficial choice.” In Wild’s words to The Ringer:

The former N-Sync member, actor and solo singer had been one of the most buzzed about stars of 2010’s award season. Justin Timberlake played The Social Network’s Sean Parker, which was up for eight Oscars that night, including Best Picture (it would go on to win the Best Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing and Score categories). This positioned Timberlake as a solid pick for host, and he was even interested in taking on the responsibility.

However, at the time, it felt as if he hadn’t quite earned his place as the face of the night, according to the show’s producers. Thus, we got Anne Hathaway and James Franco, who tried their darndest, but clearly were not operating with the same energy while on stage. If we’d had JT, I’d imagine there would have been more song-and-dance numbers, more comedic bits and less awkwardness on Hollywood’s Biggest Night.

It’s honestly such a great pick, but you live and you learn. In recent years, the Academy has decided against having a host at all and stuck with it. The last time there was a host was for 2018’s ceremony, to which Jimmy Kimmel hosted for his second year in a row. Prior to that, Chris Rock, Ellen DeGeneres and Neil Patrick Harris took center stage to help move the show along.

The 93rd Academy Awards are just a few days away. Unlike other recent awards ceremonies, this year’s Oscars will happen live in Los Angeles, completely in person and socially distanced. It’s an unlikely year for the Oscars considering a big sum of movies were pushed to this year and predominantly viewed at home. Nonetheless, there are a number of great films to be recognized throughout the night. Check out the full list of 2021 nominations and check back here on CinemaBlend Sunday night for coverage of the award show.

After the Harry Potter films wrapped, much of the cast we’re looking for ways to expand their horizons on film with projects much different from J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. And following her decade run as the booksmart witch Hermoine Granger, Emma Watson jumped to more mature roles in films like Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Bling Ring and This Is The End. But while working on the R-rated Seth Rogen comedy, the British actress reportedly quit the film early after refusing to be part of one raunchy sequence, and Rogen recently recalled the situation.

Since 2012, rumors have swirled regarding Emma Watson storming off the This Is The End set due to a scene that involved Channing Tatum wearing a leather thong and playing a gimp to Danny McBride. Seth Rogen has now confirmed the incident but assured there is no ill will between him and the Harry Potter star. In Rogen’s words:

According to the rumors, Emma Watson was well aware what she would be in for on the day she left the This Is The End set early. The actress was 22 at the time when she apparently had a “freak out moment” after Channing Tatum did some breakdancing in the scene. She was also uncomfortable with stars reportedly drinking and smoking weed during filming.

During his recent interview with GQ Magazine, Rogen approached the rumor with empathy for Watson, who apparently returned to set the next day to say her goodbyes. The Harry Potter actress also helped promote the film and made it to the premiere of This Is The End with the entire cast. Rogen continued with:

And to be fair, the This Is The End scene was very raunchy. Chances were Emma Watson had not been in a situation quite like that on a set prior to that point. She may have been overwhelmed with being there on the day or had other personal reasons for leaving. One should also keep in mind that Watson was playing herself in the movie, so that may have made it more difficult for her to disappear into the world of a movie where all of its actors are playing exaggerated versions of themselves. You can check out the NSFW gimp sequence below:

Emma Watson has not signed on a new film since starring as Meg March in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women back in 2019. She is reportedly focusing on her relationship with boyfriend Leo Robinton at the moment. Some reports surfaced that she was quitting acting early this year, but her agent has since assured fans that her career is very much alive and kicking.

It's hard to believe that it's been over 20 years since Freaks and Geeks aired its brief few episodes on NBC. Created by Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow, this coming-of-age teen dramedy is considered one of the finest programs to ever get canceled prematurely, but it has grown long legs since. Through its critical success and cult following, this short-lived show helped foster the careers of Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini, Martin Starr, Busy Philipps, and John Francis Daley. Now that the show is available to stream in full on Hulu, let's take this moment to see how far these stars have come since these humble beginnings.

Here's what the Freaks and Geeks cast is doing now.

John Francis Daley (Sam Weir)

As Sam Weir, the quiet comedy enthusiast who finds his clique with the geeks, John Francis Daley was one of the leads of the show. Afterward, Daley became known for his work in Bones. His other notable acting credits include View from the Top, Waiting ..., The Geena Davis Show, Boston Public, Kitchen Confidential, Dude Bro Party Massacre III, and 5-22-77. Outside of acting, Daley developed a second career as a Hollywood screenwriter, notably penning Horrible Bosses, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, and Spider-Man: Homecoming. He also wrote and co-directed Vacation (2015), helmed Game Night, and produced Stuber.

Next, John Francis Daley serves as the writer behind Vacation Friends. He's also attached to write and direct a new Dungeons & Dragons movie. Away from acting, he sings and plays keyboards for the band, Dayplayer.

Linda Cardellini (Lindsay Weir)

In the role of Lindsay Weir, a gifted high schooler and Sam's older sister, Linda Cardellini played one half of the lead roles in Freaks and Geeks. Outside of this short-lived series, the actress is best known for her work in the live-action Scooby-Doo movies, as well as ER, Mad Men, Bloodline, Legally Blonde, Brokeback Mountain, A Simple Favor, Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Daddy's Home movies, The Curse of La Llorona, The Founder, Good Burger, Boy Meets World, and Green Book. She can also be heard in Regular Show, Gravity Falls, Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated, and Sanjay and Craig.

Currently, Linda Cardellini can be seen in Netflix's Dead to Me, where she also serves as a co-executive producer. She has been Emmy-nominated for this leading role. Most recently, the actress appeared in Capone and several episodes of Disney+'s Muppets Now.

Samm Levine (Neal Schweiber)

In the part of Neal Schweiber, a comedy-loving geek, Samm Leivne played a scene-stealing supporting character on the series. Levine is known for his work in Inglorious Basterds, the Wet Hot American Summer franchise, Not Another Teen Movie, Pulse, Club Dread, Sydney White, I Love You Beth Cooper, Jobs, NCIS, Crunch Time, Another Period, Selfie, Do No Harm, and Drunk History. Outside of acting, Levine served as a sidekick and fill-in host on Kevin Pollak's Chat Show. He also regularly appeared on Collider's Movie Trivia Schmoedown.

Most recently, Samm Levine was seen in No Good Nick, I'd Like To Be Alone Now, and the short film, Summoned. Next, he'll be seen in Adverse, Immortal, and Bonded. Additionally, Levine will be featured in Wags to Riches.

Seth Rogen (Ken Miller)

As Ken Miller, a wise-cracking, extremely sarcastic student at William McKinley High School, Seth Rogen started his career and later found his fame thanks to his early exposure here. His next acting credits include Knocked Up, Undeclared, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Funny People, Steve Jobs, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, 50/50, Neighbors, Long Shot, and The Disaster Artist, plus Superbad and Pineapple Express (both of which he also co-wrote).

Additionally, Seth Rogen lent his voice to the Kung Fu Panda movies, Monsters vs. Aliens, Paul, Shrek the Third, Horton Hears a Who, and The Lion King (2019). Also, he wrote, directed, and starred in This is the End and The Interview. The actor directed for Preacher, Future Man, and Black Sunday, and wrote for The League, The Simpsons, and Da Ali G Show, for which he was Emmy-nominated. Most recently, Rogen starred in An American Pickle. He was also seen in The Boys and heard in Big Mouth. His upcoming credits include Invincible, Pam & Tommy, and Santa Inc.

James Franco (Daniel Desario)

In the role of Daniel Desario, Nick's best friend who's in an unsteady relationship with Kim, James Franco first gained notoriety for his work in Freaks and Geeks. Franco's profile continued to rise thanks to the Spider-Man trilogy, Pineapple Express, Milk, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Spring Breakers, Oz the Great and Powerful, This is the End, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Sausage Party, and 127 Hours, the latter for which he was Oscar-nominated. He also won a Golden Globe for his leading role in The Disaster Artist, which he also directed. Additionally, on television, Franco starred in The Deuce and 11.22.63, and appeared on General Hospital, The Mindy Project, and Angie Tribeca. Outside of acting, Franco also authored Palo Alto and Actors Anonymous.

Most recently, James Franco starred in Zeroville, which he also directed. He was also heard in Arctic Dogs. Next, he'll be seen in Kill the Czar and The Long Home, which he also directed. But, after a series of allegations were made against him, Franco has kept a low profile.

Jason Segel (Nick Andopolis)

Playing the part of Nick Andopolis, one of the Freaks who's often protective of Lindsay, Jason Segel found his early breakout role in this show. Following his time in this series, Segel starred in CBS's long-running How I Met Your Mother. The actor also wrote and starred in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, 2011's The Muppets, The Five-Year Engagement, and Sex Tape. His other notable film credits include I Love You Man, Jeff Who Lives At Home, Bad Teacher, Knocked Up, This is 40, Can't Hardly Wait, This is the End, and The End of the Tour. Additionally, he worked with Judd Apatow on the similarly short-lived series, Undeclared.

Most recently, Jason Segel was seen in Our Friend. He also created, wrote, directed, and starred in AMC's anthology series, Dispatches from Elsewhere. Segel made an appearance in Quibi's Home Movie: The Princess Bride. Next, Segel will star in The Sky Is Everywhere. Outside of acting, Segel has co-authored several novels, including the Nightmares! series and the Last Reality series, with Kirsten Miller.

Martin Starr (Bill Haverchuck)

As Bill Haverchuck, one of the freshman geeks, Martin Starr had his first brush with fame through his supporting turn in Freaks and Geeks. Following his time in this series, Starr, well, starred in Starz's Party Down. He also played a lead role in HBO's Silicon Valley. His other notable credits include Knocked Up, Adventureland, The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Superbad, This is the End, NTSF: SD: SUV::, Burning Love, Life in Pieces, Veronica Mars, Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead, Honey Boy, and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.

Most recently, Martin Starr guest-starred in truTV's Tacoma FD. Next, he'll be seen in Samaritan, Spider-Man 3, and the short film, Milford.

Busy Philipps (Kim Kelly)

In the role of Kim Kelly, Lindsay Weir's best friend, Busy Philipps played a prominent supporting character in Freaks and Geeks. Outside of this show, Philipps is known for her work in Dawson's Creek, Cougar Town, ER, Love Inc., White Chicks, He's Just Not That Into You, The Gift (2015), The Smokers, Home Room, Made of Honor, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Vice Principals, and I Feel Pretty. Additionally, from 2018 through 2019, Philipps hosted E!'s late-night talk show, Busy Tonight.

Most recently, Busy Philipps appeared in an episode of Search Party. Next, Philipps stars in Peacock's Girls5Eva. Outside of acting, the actress released her memoir, This Will Only Hurt A Little, in 2018.

Becky Ann Baker (Jean Weir)

Playing the part of Jean Weir, Lindsay and Sam's mother, Becky Ann Baker played a pivotal maternal character in Freaks and Geeks. Away from this Fox series, Baker is best known for her Emmy-nominated performance in HBO's Girls. Her other notable credits include Blue Steel, Lorenzo's Oil, Men in Black, Jacob's Ladder, In & Out, Spider-Man 3, Nights in Rodanthe, The End of the Tour, Table 19, Hope Springs, A Simple Plan, Stay, The Good Wife, The Blacklist, Big Little Lies, Younger, and Brockmire.

Most recently, Becky Ann Baker was seen in The Half of It. She also made appearances in Social Distance, Little America, Manhunt, Council of Dads, Little Voice, and Katy Keene. Next, Baker will be seen in Holler, which premiered at TIFF, and Starbright. Additionally, outside of acting, Baker produced the short film, Pizza Party, last year.

Joe Flaherty (Harold Weir)

As Harold Weir, Jean's husband and Lindsay and Sam's father, Joe Flaherty played a paternal character in Freaks and Geeks. Most notably, away from this role, the actor-comedian is known for his work on SCTV and Happy Gilmore. He also appeared in 1941, Johnny Dangerously, Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird, Innerspace, Back to the Future Part II, Stuart Saves His Family, Detroit Rock City, That '70s Show, Who's Harry Crumb?, Slackers, National Security, Club Paradise, Heavy Metal, and Stripes.

Most recently, Joe Flaherty appeared in Call Me Fitz, and the short film, Nightlife. He also wrote an episode Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated. He doesn't have any upcoming credits at this time.

You can stream Freaks and Geeks on Hulu here.

Between Seth Rogen’s recent work in The Lion King, The Disaster Artist and Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs, it does feel a bit like his days with the stoner comedy are behind him. But it's still tough to think of anything more purely Rogen than his 2008 team-up with James Franco for Pineapple Express. And wouldn’t it be great to see Dale and Saul smoke some weed together again? Well, Rogen just explained why a sequel still is not in the works:

Pineapple Express made $101.6 million worldwide at the box office against a $27 million budget, positioning it into a huge comedy hit. So why not make a sequel? It seems like it would have been a no-brainer for the studio, especially considering how popular Seth Rogen had become -- with Knocked Up and Superbad also making waves. Here’s what Rogen said during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show:

Seth Rogen is right. A thread of emails between Sony producer Amy Pascal and other executives back in 2014 details Judd Apatow’s pitch to the studio to spend $50 million on a sequel to Pineapple Express. Apatow’s numbers were based off his success with 2013’s Anchorman 2, which doubled its budget from $26 million to $50 million and ended up making twice as much money as the original.

However, Sony was dead set on giving the production $45 million, not $50 million. In Apatow’s reply, he said “45 doesn’t get it done.” Judd also explained that the film was about the legalization of marijuana, which would have been “timely” during its intended production. He pleaded that Rogen’s upcoming film, Neighbors,would soon go on to become a hit – and it did, big time.

Apatow feared that if Sony did not greenlight the project, the team would “move on to other projects.” Also true. Wow, Apatow knew what was in for Rogen and his collaborator Evan Goldberg. The emails continued with more back and forth disputes about the $5 million, and neither party ever seemed to budge.

While talking to Stern, Rogen talked about the struggles just to make the original Pineapple Express, remembering people looked at him and Evan Goldberg like they were “so fucking stupid and crazy” for making a weed action movie. He said when they made the first movie, “no one got paid anything,” which helped with the profitability for the studio when it did well at the box office.

Maybe someday? Rogen will star next in An American Pickle, which drops on HBO Max this Friday, August 6. Stick with us here on CinemaBlend for more movie news.

Actor James Franco has had a long career in film as an actor, director, writer, and producer. And while he's become a jack of all trades, he's not the only famous Franco on screen. Dave Franco burst onto the scene with appearances in Scrubs and 21 Jump Street, before starring in a steady stream of big screen projects. This includes the acclaimed Tommy Wiseau movie The Disaster Artist, where he worked alongside his brother James and names like Seth Rogen. Dave Franco is making his directorial debut with thriller The Rental, and he recently revealed how working with industry greats shaped his work on the horror movie.

Prior to The Disaster Artist, Dave Franco also had a cameo in Superbad, so he's worked with Seth Rogen a variety of times throughout his career. The Disaster Artist is also notable for Dave and James Franco playing opposite each other as Greg Sestero and Tommy Wiseau respectively. Dave recently appeared on ReelBlend ahead of the release of The Rental, which he also wrote and produced.  And when asked about what he's learned from his previous experience, Franco opened up saying:

That's certainly one way to make your cast and crew feel valuable. Because it looks like Dave Franco makes it a point to let everyone in the room have a say, if they feel it's to the benefit of the film. And as a result projects like The Rental benefit from the expertise and perspective of the collective mind. It truly takes a village.

Every director works differently, and Dave Franco was in a unique position while filming The Rental. He wore a ton of hats for the upcoming thriller, and therefore likely benefitted from the help of his crew. Directing yourself is difficult enough, but Franco also served as a producer and writer. Talk about making a directorial debut.

In Dave Franco's same conversation on Reelblend, he went on to explain how curious he'd always been on film sets. Because while filming appearances in projects like Now You See Me and If Beale Street Could Talk, the actor would also be taking in the contributions of everyone else on set. As he went on to explain,

Dave Franco has been working in film for years now, and it seems like the experience was about more than acting and delivering on his specific role. Each movie provided more learning experiences, as Franco formed the idea of how he'd like to run his own set. And with The Rental, he was finally able to use the tools he'd picked up along the way.

The Rental is a horror movie about a group of friends who rent an Airbnb. While dealing with their interpersonal issues, the group soon begins to suspect the landlord of spying on them. Chaos follows, with Alison Brie and Dave Franco leading the cast. The movie is currently sitting on a 71% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing, with particular praise coming for the cast.

The Rental is available to rent on demand and on Amazon. Be sure to check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Johnny Depp’s libel case against The Sun kicked off in the U.K. court system this week. On Day 1, we heard testimony alleging Depp may have held one of Amber Heard’s dogs out a window as a joke during their relationship, which he denies. On Day 2, Depp revealed he was uncomfortable with Amber Heard’s contact with James Franco, whom he testified was “rapey,” though he says that was Amber Heard’s adjective and not his.

Over the past several months, it has become clear that James Franco would ultimately be a part of Johnny Depp’s big court cases. This has happened because Franco starred in Pineapple Express opposite Amber Heard and because he was spotted in an elevator in the same complex as Depp and Heard during a pivotal moment that’s come to light as part of the case. There’s evidence that James Franco was hanging out with the Aquaman actress when she has said she had bruises on her face from being hit by Depp, ergo the 127 Hours actor has already been roped into this drama.

However, the comments from Johnny Depp during Day 2 of his libel trial against The Sun (via The Evening Standard) had more to do with the time Amber Heard had spent with James Franco and why he didn’t really enjoy their time together. He noted they worked together on Pineapple Express back in 2008, a few short years before Johnny Depp starred with Amber Heard on The Rum Diary (2011). While Depp admitted in court he didn’t like Heard hanging around with Franco, he said it was because of things Heard had admitted to him, noting,

When asked about the terms Amber Heard had actually called James Franco, Depp also clarified that he was not saying James Franco had raped Amber Heard but that the actual adjective she had used was “rapey,” noting,

However, despite what Amber Heard is alleged to have said about the actor, James Franco went on to star in a second movie with her, 2015’s The Adderall Diaries, which is when Depp says he became uncomfortable. Then in 2016, the aforementioned incident on the elevator after Heard says Depp had hurt her occurred. Previously, James Franco had requested a sealed deposition after the actor was asked by Depp’s legal team to make a statement in the case. Now, Johnny Depp himself has drug him into the case in a different way, noting he was "shocked" when the two started spending more time together.

James Franco has kept a fairly low profile after his movie The Disaster Artist quietly was snubbed at the Oscars following a Me Too profile accusing Franco of inappropriate behavior while teaching at his film school Studio 4, which is now closed. A lawsuit subsequently followed. In the time since, he’s starred in HBO’s now-cancelled The Deuce and lent his voice to Arctic Dogs in 2019.

This August, Johnny Depp’s $50 million defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard is set to finally begin its three-week proceedings. The trial is no summer blockbuster event, but it certainly is shaping up to have a stacked cast, considering James Franco has been roped into the legal battle. Following a request from Depp’s lawyer for the 127 Hours actor to be questioned during the case, Franco is requesting a sealed deposition.

The couple have been embroiled in a longwinded legal battle since Amber Heard filed divorce from Johnny Depp back in 2016. The actor filed a lawsuit against his Rum Diary costar for defaming his character with allegations of sexual assault that he denies. Depp and his legal team claim Heard has orchestrated an “elaborate hoax” to advance her career and it directly led to his firing from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise in the process.

James Franco finds himself in the middle of all this due to a 2016 surveillance video at Amber Heard and Johnny Depp’s apartment complex where he shares an elevator ride with Heard. The video took place on the night after the couple had a heated fight that Heard claims she received her bruises from, whereas Depp claims they didn’t appear until later in the week.

Johnny Depp’s team are hoping to clear up the claims by questioning James Franco about the night he saw her. According to a new legal letter obtained by The Blast, Franco is asking that all answers he offers not be shared with the public. Before he agrees to testify in the case, the actor is requesting a document be put in place to protect his testimony from being leaked to outside sources.

Additionally, James Franco is asking that a clause be added to this document that would impart legal damages on Johnny Depp and his team if it does end up being released to the public. Franco will be asked about the night he shared the same elevator with Amber Heard, specifically regarding if he noticed bruises present on her face and body.

James Franco apparently lived in the same apartment complex as Amber Heard and Johnny Depp back in 2016. The Aquaman actress' lawyers simply believe it was a coincidence the two actors were in the same elevator. The video shows Amber traveling down the parking floor of the complex, leaving and going back in with Franco, and the both of them traveling to the penthouse level.

James Franco and Amber Heard seem to be hiding their faces in the video, both standing away from the camera’s view. Franco leans over for a moment to seemingly listen to Heard speak. They previously shared the screen in 2015’s The Adderall Diaries. Heard has also alleged Johnny Depp requested her to get fired from Aquaman in a separate case.

Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend as more information of the Heard/Depp legal battle unfolds!

In recent years, the lines have blurred between actors and the behind-the-scenes filmmaker creatives. Few actors’ careers have become synonymous with their directorial efforts. Think about Clint Eastwood’s best work: helming Best Picture winner Million Dollar Baby is just as iconic as his acting roots in ‘60s spaghetti westerns. Now the likes of Bradley Cooper and Angelina Jolie are following in his footsteps.

More and more of Hollywood’s leads have turned to the director’s chair. They’re producing blockbuster hits and critically-acclaimed works too! Having the knowledge of both sides of the fence must come in handy. So with that in mind, let's go over these impressive actors-turned-directors.

Elizabeth Banks

She got her start at the turn of the 21st century on Wet Hot American Summer, Spider-Man and Catch Me If You Can, and has since become a regular in big comedies and James Gunn’s occasional horror projects, as well as been a peppy persona in Hunger Games, Pitch Perfect and the LEGO franchises. But in recent years, Elizabeth Banks has turned to directing as well.

She made her debut on the 2015 sequel to Pitch Perfect after contributing her eye to ensemble comedy Movie 43, where she directed a segment called “Middleschool Date” featuring Chloe Grace Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. Next, she’ll bring back the Charlie’s Angels franchise (along with starring as Bosley herself) with Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska coming this November.

Denzel Washington

This two-time Oscar winner has one of the most illustrious acting careers in Hollywood. It’s almost impossible to talk about his accomplishments in the biz without bringing up at least 10 of his roles. Glory (which actually inspired Black Panther’s Killmonger!), Training Day, Malcolm X, The Equalizer… the list goes on! But it goes even further because Denzel Washington has also helmed some incredible features as well.

He made his debut in 2002 with Antwone Fisher, a “based on a true story” drama about a troubled navy man and his psychologist (played by Denzel Washington). Five years later, he also starred in and directed The Great Debaters (also rooted in fact) before adapting the August Wilson play Fences with Viola Davis in 2017, for which she won her first and so far only Oscar.

Jonah Hill

The 35-year-old actor has continually showed audiences new tricks up his talented sleeves throughout his career. His time in Hollywood began with David O. Russell’s I Heart Huckabees alongside Lily Tomlin, Jude Law and Mark Wahlberg in 2004 before breaking out in bro comedies with the likes of Seth Rogen, Steve Carell and Jason Segel, most notably with the now classic Superbad.

Jonah Hill then made a memorable shift to dramatic work in Moneyball and The Wolf of Wall Street, earning him Best Supporting Oscar noms. In 2018, he made his directorial debut with Mid90s, based on his own raw and relatable script about a 13-year-old skater kid living in LA in the ‘90s. The indie film got major acclaim, making him an intriguing director to watch out for.

Jon Favreau

Jon Favreau early acting work included 1996’s Swingers, playing one of Monica’s boyfriends on Friends, and the disaster film Deep Impact but quickly made a name for himself as a director at the same time. He’s simultaneously made some hefty contributions to modern cinema, such as the Christmas classic Elf, while frequently starring in comedies with Vince Vaughn such as The Break-up, Four Christmases and Couples Retreat.

He’s had a key role to play in the MCU since he directed the first entries: Iron Man 1 & 2. Jon Favreau's role of Happy in the franchise has also seen him participate in arious other Marvel films, most recently Spider-Man: Far From Home. The director has also led Zathura, Cowboys & Aliens, Chef and two huge CGI-heavy Disney remakes: The Jungle Book and The Lion King.

Brie Larson

Captain Marvel has also established herself as an actor/director as well! The 29-year-old has been on film sets since she was nine years old. As a child actress, Brie Larson had roles in 13 Going on 30 (news to the rom-com’s Matty, Mark Ruffalo) and Hoot before really breaking out in Hollywood with Scott Pilgrim, 21 Jump Street and Short Term 12.

The actress won an Oscar in 2015 for her leading role in Room, before nabbing the role of the MCU’s Carol Danvers and starring in Kong: Skull Island. On the latter projects, she found a friend in Samuel L. Jackson, who she enlisted for her directorial debut, Unicorn Store. The 2019 Netflix dramedy also led by her acting chops showed she has a quirky, unique eye to share behind the camera.

James Franco

James Franco has always been a versatile actor, from playing Harry Osborn in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, performing alongside Seth Rogen on movies such as Pineapple Express, becoming an Oscar contender on Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours, or being the leading man in 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Franco has also tried his hand at directing many times around, dabbling in shorts, docs and feature length films.

His first directorial project was a comedy called The Ape, which he starred and wrote about a man who finds out a Hawaiian-shirt-wearing ape lives in his place. (Really, it exists!) He’s also helmed indies titled As I Lay Dying, Child of God and The Pretenders. His most celebrated and memorable directorial movie is 2017’s The Disaster Artist, which is about the best 'bad movie' The Room.

Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper also got his start in comedy with his first credit: a guest starring role in Sex in the City, before nabbing roles in Wet Hot American Summer (like Elizabeth Banks), Failure to Launch and Wedding Crashers. He really became a recognizable lead with The Hangover and Limitless, and his collaboration with Jennifer Lawrence and David O. Russell on Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle and Joy.

It was after Bradley Cooper worked with Clint Eastwood on American Sniper when his director seed was planted. Eastwood was supposed to direct and star in a remake of A Star is Born, but after dropping out, Cooper took it on, working on the screenplay, learning to sing and transforming into Jackson Maine. Paired with his steamy chemistry with Lady Gaga, the 2018 remake was nominated for eight Oscars and a box office hit.

Ben Affleck

He may have kickstarted his acting resume with roles in School Ties, Dazed and Confused and Kevin Smith’s Mallrats, but writing and starring in Good Will Hunting with his college roommate Matt Damon when he was 25 was the real ticket to stardom for him. After starring in films like Armageddon, Shakespeare in Love and Pearl Harbor, he headed to directing in between.

His first film was 2007’s Gone Baby Gone, where he cast his brother Casey, Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris. Ben Affleck also helmed The Town, Best Picture winner Argo and Live By Night. He was also signed on to write and direct the DCEU’s The Batman, but has since stepped away as Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson stepped in as director and Caped Crusader, respectively.

Angelina Jolie

Since her start in Hollywood in the ‘90s, Angelina Jolie has maintained an essential leading woman. Between her early work in Girl, Interrupted, Lara Croft, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Wanted, to her recent role as Disney’s Maleficent, she’s proved she can dazzle in just about every role.

In 2007, she first showed off her talents and powerful voice as a filmmaker with her documentary A Place in Time, which tracked the daily lives of people in dozens of countries to raise awareness of global issues. Angelina Jolie also helmed the Bosnian War-set drama In the Land of Blood and Honey and the Oscar-nominated biopic Unbroken. She and her husband Brad Pitt starred in By the Sea, which she also wrote and directed, and First They Killed My Father in 2017, about a Cambodian activist’s childhood struggles.

John Krasinski

He was first known as Jim Halpert in The Office for nine seasons. He started juggling a film career in films such as Away We Go, It’s Complicated and Something Borrowed. In recent years, he has become a certified action star with roles in 13 Hours and Amazon Prime’s Jack Ryan series.

On top of that, John Krasinski kicked off a directing career with his debut in 2016’s The Hollars, a family dramedy he also led. In 2018, he wrote, directed and starred in A Quiet Place, a horror hit that also received rave reviews. His wife Emily Blunt joined him in the film about a family living in silence in hiding from sound-sensitive monsters. Krasinski’s currently working on a sequel for a 2020 release.

George Clooney

George Clooney first became famous for being a TV heartthrob on ER before becoming a respected film actor known for O Brother, Where Art Thou, the Ocean’s trilogy, Michael Clayton… oh and those Nespresso commercials! He’s consistently chosen high-profile drama roles as an actor with other notable gigs like Up in the Air, The Descendants and Gravity.

George Clooney first took his career behind the scenes with 2002’s Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, a crime-drama starring himself, Sam Rockwell, Julia Roberts and Drew Barrymore. He then moved to helming Edward R. Murrow biopic Good Night, And Good Luck, 2008’s Leatherheads, The Ides of March with Ryan Gosling, The Monuments Men, and Suburbicon, and will soon move to Netflix for his upcoming sci-fi project Good Morning, Midnight.

Olivia Wilde

Before making her directorial debut earlier this year, Olivia Wilde got her start on TV with The O.C. and House. She then nabbed supporting roles on Year One, The Next Three Days and TRON: Legacy before taking on more meaty roles in Drinking Buddies, Ron Howard’s Rush and the HBO series Vinyl.

Olivia Wilde made her case for an impressive director in Booksmart, a hilarious teen comedy about two by-the-book best friends who realize all the partiers are going to the same prestigious schools they are and decide to cram their lost time letting loose in one night. The film received a near-perfect score of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, though it was overshadowed by other summer releases at the box office.

These actors/directors have not only balanced two sides of filmmaking, but developed some memorable movies as well with their work! Did you know all these A-list actors were also directors and which are you most impressed with? Let us know in the comments below.

The protracted legal battle between former husband and wife and movie stars Johnny Depp and Amber Heard is full of the kind of drama and twists, and now the story that simply won’t end has cast a new player. Actor James Franco has gotten roped into Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s legal issues, and it seems that it is largely due to being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Johnny Depp’s legal team is expected to subpoena James Franco because of a surveillance video obtained by The Blast, that shows him in an elevator with actress Amber Heard. To understand the relevance of this video though, and why James Franco may now find himself a part of this nasty legal battle between the former couple, it is first necessary to provide some background.

Johnny Depp is suing Amber Heard for defamation of character to the tune of $50 million alleging that the actress’s 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post about sexual violence got him fired from Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Although the op-ed doesn’t mention him by name, Johnny Depp and his lawyers have argued that it and her abuse allegations are all part of an “elaborate hoax” meant to advance her career.

In May 23 of 2016, Amber Heard filed for divorce from Johnny Depp after 15 months of marriage following an explosive fight between the two said to have taken place on May 21. The fight was allegedly physical in nature, with Amber Heard alleging abuse on the part of Johnny Depp that left her with bruises on her face and body.

On May 27, the actress was granted a temporary restraining order against Johnny Depp, who has claimed innocence and that Amber Heard’s wounds were “painted on” and meant to garner public support for the actress. Those dates are important to why James Franco may find himself part of this legal battle.

In 2016, James Franco apparently lived in the same apartment complex as the apartment that Johnny Depp and Amber Heard shared together. The surveillance video from the apartment complex allegedly shows James Franco entering an elevator with Amber Heard late on May 22, 2016, the day after the fight that ended Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s marriage and the day before the actress filed for divorce.

According to The Blast, Johnny Depp’s lawyers will subpoena James Franco to sit for a deposition in the defamation lawsuit to question if the actress had any visible injuries on her face from the fight that took place the night before or if James Franco and Amber Heard discussed it at all.

So basically, if the bruises, that Johnny Depp’s lawyers say were painted on, were present when the actress filed for a restraining order on May 27, they should have been visible to James Franco the night after the fight on May 22 or so the thinking goes for Johnny Depp's side. Johnny Depp’s legal team is also interested in speaking with Elon Musk, because he too allegedly saw Amber Heard’s face in this time period.

In response to this development, Amber Heard’s attorney’s told E! News that the video is irrelevant and that Amber Heard and James Franco were just taking an elevator at the same time because they lived in the same apartment complex. There is no word from James Franco or his representatives on this matter at this time.

The trial date for the defamation suit is set for February 3, 2020, with the judge setting aside 12-days for the case.

Showbiz has been rocked by allegations of mistreatment and misconduct by men in the television and film industry, and now former Freaks and Geeks star Busy Philipps has come forward with a troubling story of an encounter with co-star James Franco during their time on the short-lived sitcom. According to Philipps, Franco was a bully on set and she wound up on the ground because of it.

In her upcoming memoir, called This Will Only Hurt a Little, Busy Philipps recounts an incident from her time working on Freaks and Geeks in which she says James Franco shoved her to the ground. In the alleged incident, Philipps states that she gently hit Franco in the chest after being directed to do so for the sake of a scene.

Busy Philipps goes on to say that James Franco then broke character and lashed out, grabbing her arms, screaming in her face, and throwing her on the ground hard enough that she had the "wind knocked out of" her, according to RadarOnline.com. Philipps also stated that she tearfully shared what happened with costar Linda Cardellini, who advised her to call her manager, and Franco was told to apologize by the director and producers, and he did so.

Given that James Franco was accused of sexually inappropriate behavior by five women earlier this year, Busy Philipps' claim from her upcoming book will likely come across as quite troubling to some. For Philipps, however, the incident was not meant to be the biggest selling point or takeaway from her memoir. She shared some additional thoughts on the incident on her Instagram page, posting this:

The memoir is not about what happened on the fateful day on the Freaks and Geeks set, and Busy Philipps doesn't mince words when clarifying that the point of the paragraph was not to throw allegations at her former costar. It was an example of how she sees women treated in showbiz and the real world in general. While it's not a pleasant story, Philipps seems more set on sharing a message than anything else.

Busy Philipps also seems to have fond memories of her time as a part of Freaks and Geeks, and her one regret about the show is probably not what you'd expect. The short-lived but much-loved series was her first professional acting job, and she didn't stay out of TV long after Freaks and Geeks was cancelled. She landed a role on Dawson's Creek, and her friendship with Dawson's costar Michelle Williams is still clearly going strong.

You can find Busy Philipps on the small screen this fall with new E! talk show Busy Tonight, which premieres on October 28.

Heading into what's essentially the tail end of the summer blockbuster season, it's kind of hard to keep some of the movies straight, especially when some of them are sold so similarly. Take A-X-L and Kin: two movies I've been confusing for the past couple of weeks, as they've both been positioned as "kid finds tech that doesn't belong to them and goes on an adventure" romps setting out to do similar things. After actually seeing Kin, not only is it not deserving of such a top level layer of confusion, it's also not even the film its trailer is selling -- and it's all the better for it.

Eli (Myles Truitt) is about to reunite with his brother Jimmy (Jack Reynor), who has just gotten out of prison after a six year sentence. Unfortunately, that reunion is soon complicated by a botched robbery meant to pay off a dangerous criminal (James Franco) who protected Jimmy in prison. As if that wasn't complicated enough, Eli has a secret of his own: he possesses an otherworldly weapon that can do some serious damage. A weapon whose original and equally mysterious owners are looking to recover.

Considering that Kin is the feature film debut for writer/director pair Jonathan and Josh Baker, it is a pretty confidently crafted film. The visual style is clearly defined, and the characters are incredibly solid, leading to some clever performances from the entire cast. Particularly, Truitt and Reynor's chemistry as brothers skips past the fact that they're adopted, landing their on-screen relationship more along the lines of siblings that do not miss a step after six years apart. Throw into the mix Dennis Quaid (doing his best Harrison Ford impression) as the patriarch of the family, James Franco playing his standard psychotic / comedic villain archetype, and Zoe Kravitz as a kindly stripper, and you've got the core cast that drives Kin's interesting, but totally flawed story.

The fact that Kin's story isn't as polished as it should be is the greatest shame when it comes to evaluating this film. Looking at how it's being sold to general audiences, the final product is less schmaltzy and actually darker than the advertisements would let on. That comes from the fact that there's two different films that are fused into Kin's final product: a road drama where a pair of brothers are being chased by a murderous crime lord, and a family adventure where a young boy discovers a gun from out of this world and is being pursued by its rightful owners. While there's definitely credit due to Jonathan and Josh Baker for extending their short film, Bag Man, into a feature that works well enough, the seams between both concepts they're trying to marry are extremely visible.

If Kin had either dumped the concept of the gun and its retrieval completely, or written it into the script better, we'd be looking at possibly the biggest surprise of the summer. There are good patches of this film where the gun, and its owners, are such non-factors to the narrative that it really didn't need to be there. It's only important in the third act, which engages in a predictable, but really entertaining fire fight at a local police station. But just like Carrie Coon's FBI agent character, it really only comes into play in the last portion of the film, which throws a ton of intriguing, sequel-baiting twists onto the wall, and just barely sticks.

Kin is by no means a bad movie, so much as it's a sloppy story that still works as an entertaining experience. Reshaped a little bit, it could have been the anti-violence / pro-family message film that the Bakers are obviously trying to make. While the roughness of the final product does hold it back from being something greater, it doesn't make it an unwatchable film, just a mildly frustrating one. Still, it shouldn't be a problem for those who do take a chance on Kin to not only fall into its rather unique universe, but to come out on the other side wanting to see what happens next.

When it comes to kissing, James Franco leaves a lot to be desired, at according to Zoey Deutch. During a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, the Set It Up actress reflected on her time spent with her Why Him? co-star during the making of the 2016 comedy. When she was pressed to know whether or not Franco was a great smoocher, Deutch admitted the A-list actor's puckered lips didn't impress her -- to put it mildly. And she wasn't afraid to get more honest from there. As Deutch confessed on the popular Bravo talk show series, James Franco's kissing simply isn't much to write home about. Yikes. Here's a breakdown of what she said.

In the brief talk show clip, Zoey Deutch was hesitant to get into details, but she wasn't afraid to admit James Franco's kissing was, err, subpar-at-best. Even saying that might be too kind. When asked to describe James Franco's kissing style, Deutch let out a less-than-enthused "meh." And she later admitted that it simply "wasn't great." The kissing was apparently "not memorable," and to make matters worse, Franco's breath wasn't minty fresh either. In fact, Zoey Deutch went so far as to say Franco's breath was "not good." As Andy Cohen joked, during the making of Why Him?, Zoey Deutch was probably asking herself that same question the title imposes. She didn't deny that was the case.

While James Franco's kissing might not be anything worth celebrating, Zoey Deutch didn't stop working with James Franco after Why Him? After all, she also appeared (briefly) in James Franco's acclaimed adaptation of The Disaster Artist last year, as a fellow acting student with Greg Sestero and Tommy Wiseau. It wasn't a major role, by any stretch of the imagination. You might've blinked and missed it, in fact. But it suggests that things between James Franco and Zoey Deutch might not be so bad, even if the rising young star isn't looking to give the actor any more smooches anytime soon.

If you can handle the embarrassment, check out the talk show clip below.

As an actress, Zoey Deutch is keeping herself plenty busy away from James Franco's company. In addition to appearing in the aforementioned Set It Up this year, which premiered exclusively on Netflix, Deutch was recently seen in The Year of Spectacular Men, which was directed by her mom, Lea Thompson, and written by her sister, Madelyn Deutch. Deutch made her producing debut on that film as well; it was truly a family affair. Zoey Deutch also recently starred in Flower, and she'll next be seen in Richard Says Goodbye, alongside Johnny Depp.

Hopefully, though, Zoey Deutch will find better kissers in her future co-stars.

NBC's iconic Saturday Night Live is heading into Season 43 for the 2017-2018 television season, and while the show will be very different this year without any major elections to cover and some notable cast departures, you can bet that those behind the long-running, Emmy-nominated sketch series are working hard to guarantee that there's a solid parade of celebrity guest hosts and musical acts scheduled to perform on the program every week.

While we don't yet know about all the surprises that will await us in Season 43 of SNL (what fun would that be, anyway?), we can probably bet on a few new cast members to fill in for Sasheer Zamata, Vanessa Bayer and Bobby Moynihan, who all left the late-night staple after Season 42. And, with many interesting developments in politics happening on an almost daily basis, we're likely guaranteed continued impressions of those in our top offices as the new season gets underway. We've even already heard that the team at SNL and Alec Baldwin, who has been lauded for his Donald Trump impression, are (wisely) not planning to give that popular part of the show up any time soon. Baldwin has noted that, even though he's got several projects in the pipeline, he is game to be around for as many Trump sessions on Saturday Night Live as possible this season.

While we wait for word on new not-ready-for-primetime players and when we can expect Alec Baldwin to hit the SNL stage again, the show is (finally) starting to let us in on who will be hosting and performing on each live episode. Be sure to check this guide regularly to see when your favorites will be appearing on the show, as we'll update it when SNL releases new information. Read on to see who you can watch this season!

Upcoming Episodes

May 5 - Donald Glover With Musical Guest Childish Gambino

Alright, technically SNL is pulling double duty on this one, because when actor/writer/comedian Donald Glover hosts the show on May 5, he will also appear as musical guest under his hip hop moniker Childish Gambino. Glover has become a force to be reckoned with in the years since his star-making turn on the comedy Community. He created and writes, produces, directs and stars in his hit FX show Atlanta, and will be seen in Solo: A Star Wars Story when it opens on May 25. As a rapper/singer, he's released three studio albums, with the most recent, Awaken, My Love!, scoring several Grammy nominations.

May 12 - Amy Schumer With Musical Guest Kacey Musgraves

Comedian and actress Amy Schumer will return for her second hosting stint on SNL on the May 12 show. The Trainwreck and Snatched star will hit the stage a few weeks after her new film, I Feel Pretty, opens in theaters. Country singer/songwriter Kacey Musgraves will appear as musical guest in support of her third studio album, Golden Hour.

May 19 - Tina Fey With Musical Guest Nicki Minaj

Wrapping up Season 43 of Saturday Night Live will be frequent host and former head writer/cast member Tina Fey. The 30 Rock and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot star launched the Mean Girls musical on Broadway in October 2017. Rapper Nicki Minaj is set to tear up the stage in support of her upcoming fourth studio album that same night.

Previously Aired

September 30 - Ryan Gosling With Musical Guest Jay-Z

The Season 43 opener will see actor Ryan Gosling host for the second time. Gosling, also known as the guy every dude's girlfriend is not-so-secretly in love with, was most recently seen in the Oscar winning film La La Land, for which he was nominated for Best Actor. His next movie is the highly anticipated sequel Blade Runner 2049, with Harrison Ford and Jared Leto, which opens on October 6. Jay-Z, who's performed three times previously, will be along to promote his recently released 4:44 album.

October 7 - Gal Gadot With Musical Guest Sam Smith

The first Saturday in October will see Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot, host SNL for the first time. She is, of course, coming off a major summer when her solo outing as the hero wowed audiences and critics alike. Her appearance on the show comes a little over a month before the November 17 debut of Justice League, in which Gadot also stars. The night's musical guest, Sam Smith, will be taking the stage in his second stint on the show. The Grammy winner has been working on his second album, and just released a new single, "Too Good at Goodbyes," earlier this month.

October 14 - Kumail Nanjiani With Musical Guest Pink

Also making his SNL debut during Season 43 is Kumail Nanjiani, who stars on the HBO comedy Silicon Valley. He recently gained even more praise for writing and starring in the film The Big Sick, which came out earlier this year. Singer/songwriter Pink, also the winner of multiple Grammy Awards, is due to release her seventh album, "Beautiful Trauma," on October 13.

November 4 - Larry David With Musical Guest Miley Cyrus

SNL will launch its November episodes with Larry David hosting the show for only the second time, with his first stint being back in February 2016. David, who is best known for helping to create Seinfeld and guide the show to the heights of comedy over many of its nine seasons, as well as for creating and starring in his (recently revived) HBO hit Curb Your Enthusiasm, appeared on Saturday Night Live several times during the election cycle to play candidate Bernie Sanders. Miley Cyrus, who hosted in 2011 and then took on both hosting and musical guest duties in 2013 and 2015, will return to perform and promote her most recent album, "Younger Now."

November 11 - Tiffany Haddish With Musical Guest Taylor Swift

The breakout star of the summer hit film Girls Trip, comedian Tiffany Haddish will get her first go 'round as an SNL host when she steps on stage for the November 11 episode. Haddish is also known for her work in Real Husbands of Hollywood, The Carmichael Show and in the film Keanu, and has several new projects currently in development. Taylor Swift will appear to perform songs from her new CD, "Reputation," and has been on the show several times before, including a 2009 stint where she served as both host and musical guest.

November 18 - Chance the Rapper With Musical Guest Eminem

Also marking his first stint as host in November will be Chance the Rapper, who's made several appearances as musical guest over the past few years. His third mixtape, "Coloring Book," was released in May 2016 and won three Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album. It is also the first streaming-only album to get a Grammy nomination and win. Chance was also nominated for an Emmy this year for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for "Last Christmas," which was written for and performed on SNL. Eminem will perform on the show to promote his new album, "Revival," which debuts on November 17.

December 2 - Saoirse Ronan With Musical Guest U2

SNL's December kicks off with two-time Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan hosting the comedy. Ronan, who received nominations in 2008 and 2016, is once again getting Oscar buzz for her role in Lady Bird, which was released in early November. U2, which has won a whopping 22 Grammy Awards, will perform on the show to promote their soon-to-be-released CD, Songs of Experience.

December 9 - James Franco With Musical Guest SZA

Jack of all trades James Franco takes on SNL hosting duties for the night of December 9. He's currently starring in the HBO drama The Deuce and can be seen on the big screen in The Disaster Artist. R&B singer SZA will make her debut on Saturday Night Live that evening. The five-time Grammy nominee will perform to promote her debut studio album, Ctrl.

December 16 - Kevin Hart With Musical Guest Foo Fighters

Making his third appearance as host, actor/comedian Kevin Hart will hit the SNL stage on December 16. His film Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle will be released on December 20 and he has five projects coming up soon. Seven-time musical guests Foo Fighters will rock the show once again, this time in support of their new CD, Concrete and Gold.

January 13 - Sam Rockwell With Musical Guest Halsey

Actor Sam Rockwell is primed to host SNL for the first time when the show returns from its holiday break on January 13. Rockwell is currently gaining much praise for his role in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, having been nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance, which is also getting Oscar buzz. Singer Halsey will be hitting the SNL musical stage for the first time to promote her most recent CD, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom.

January 20 - Jessica Chastain With Musical Guest Troye Sivan

Molly's Game star Jessica Chastain takes on hosting duties for the first time when she hits the SNL stage on January 20. The actress, who received Oscar nominations for her work in The Help and Zero Dark Thirty, has become a force to be reckoned with on screen. Since 2010, she's gotten a remarkable 110 nominations for her roles in films like Miss Sloane, A Most Violent Year and Take Shelter. Troye Sivan will perform on the show for the first time to promote his debut studio album, Blue Neighbourhood.

January 27 - Will Ferrell With Musical Guest Chris Stapleton

Funny man Will Ferrell hits his old stomping grounds again when he returns to host Saturday Night Live for the fourth time. After making a name for himself with impressions of personalities like James Lipton, George W. Bush and Alex Trebek, Ferrell, of course, went on to take his wacky characters to the big screen in films like Anchorman and Talladega Nights. Grammy-winning country artist Chris Stapleton will make his second appearance on the show to promote his third solo album, From A Room: Volume 2.

February 3 - Natalie Portman With Musical Guest Dua Lipa

Hosting for her second time as the comedy moves into February is Oscar winner Natalie Portman. After being most recently seen in Jackie and Song to Song, Portman's next big screen effort, the sci-fi thriller Annihilation, debuts on February 23. Singer Dua Lipa makes her first appearance as musical guest to promote her self-titled debut album, which features the hit single, New Rules.

March 3 - Charles Barkely With Musical Guest Migos

March will bring NBA legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley back to SNL for his fourth hosting gig. The Emmy winner can be seen as an analyst for TNT's Inside the NBA and NCAA March Madness coverage on CBS. Hip hop trio Migos will head to the show for their first stint as musical guest, and will perform in support of their new album Culture II, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

March 10 - Sterling K. Brown With Musical Guest James Bay

This Is Us star Sterling K. Brown will make his hosting debut on March 10. The Golden Globe, SAG and Emmy winner can currently be seen on the big screen in Black Panther, and will be back in theaters later this year in The Predator. Singer/songwriter and three time Grammy nominee James Bay will hit the stage for the first time to support his upcoming sophomore album that night.

March 17 - Bill Hader With Musical Guest Arcade Fire

Emmy winner and Saturday Night Live vet Bill Hader returns to the show for his second hosting gig on March 17. Hader's HBO hitman comedy Barry, which he is the creator/executive producer/director and star of, will premiere on March 25. Arcade Fire will join the show for their fourth appearance as musical guest during the broadcast. Their single, "Everything Now," from the album of the same name, recently became their first to hit No. 1 on any Billboard chart.

April 7 - Chadwick Boseman With Musical Guest Cardi B

SNL decided not to let Season 43 pass by without a visit from everyone's favorite Black Panther, as Chadwick Boseman will hit the stage for his first hosting gig on April 7. Known around the world for his part in the massive hit Black Panther, Boseman will next be seen on the big screen in Avengers: Infinity War when it opens on April 27. Cardi B will appear as the musical guest to promote her debut studio album Invasion of Privacy.

April 14 - John Mulaney With Musical Guest Jack White

Comedian and former SNL writer John Mulaney will make his first appearance as host on the April 14 episode. Mulaney is best known for helping write all those insane Stefon sketches with Bill Hader and he sometimes popped up on the Weekend Update segment of the show during his time there. Jack White will perform to promote his third solo studio album Boarding House Reach.

Remember, be sure to bookmark this guide so you can stay up to date on all the hosts and musical guests Saturday Night Live has to offer in Season 43. For an in depth look at what else you can watch this fall, take a look at our fall premiere schedule and Netflix premiere schedule, as well.

It's a complicated time for the world of Hollywood. Following the myriad allegations made against producer Harvey Weinstein, the floodgates truly opened. A ton of powerful men have been accused of sexual misconduct, resulting in the end of their careers. With the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, it seems the community is taking the allegations very seriously. One star who recently has come under fire is James Franco, who had been accused of sexually inappropriate behavior by five women. As these allegations are worked through, Vanity Fair ultimately decided to cut the actor from its 2018 Hollywood issue cover. Check it out.

What a great shot, right? Vanity Fair always produces stunning images of its subjects, and this new ensemble photo is no exception. But upon closer image, there seems to be a photoshop fail-- although not related to the removal of James Franco.

The possibly photo fail can be seen on the left side of the image, featuring Reese Witherspoon and Oprah. While the two Wrinkle in Time stars are adorable canoodling on a chair, it appears that Witherspoon has a third leg. This set the internet ablaze, and even got both women involved via social media. Check out a closer look at Reese's third leg below.

If you look closely, it certainly appears that Reese Witherspoon is rocking a third leg. Vanity Fair eventually made a statement about the the photo, claiming the illusion is due to the lining on Witherspoon's dress.

Both Reese Witherspoon and Oprah seem to have gotten a kick out of the mysterious third leg, with Witherspoon "coming out" as a 3 legged actress to the world. This inspired Oprah to support her Wrinkle in Time co-star, eventually joking about another image from the shoot that featured Oprah having a mysterious third hand. No, I'm not kidding. You can see the photo below.

Vanity Fair must be dealing with quite the headache this week. Because while Reese Witherspoon's third leg is up for debate, there is no doubt that Oprah has an extra hand in that photo with Reese and Tom Hanks. Ultimately, the publication did take responsibility for Oprah's third hand, posting on Twitter:

Overall, Oprah and Reese's phantom limbs have probably helped Vanity Fair sell more of its newest issue. And rather than the conversation revolving around James Franco's absence, there is lighter conversation regarding photo shop fails. It's currently unclear how Franco feels about being cut from the shoot.

This morning the 2018 Oscar nominations were announced and, as per usual, there are far more great films and performances in them than five nominees could handle. This means many deserving nominees were left out. In most cases, this is due to a stacked field rather than any particular surprises being nominated. Still, there were a few names that we were half expecting to hear that were never called.

Here are the biggest snubs from the 2018 Academy Award nominations.

Steven Spielberg - Best Director

Steven Spielberg is one of the best directors who has ever done the job, and his most recent endeavor, The Post, served as a reminder to anybody who may have forgotten that fact. Following Spielberg's Golden Globe nomination, we would have expected to see the Academy follow suit, but that was not the case. The fact that Greta Gerwig, who was left out of the Golden Globes, received a nomination is a welcome addition to the list, but it doesn't change the fact that Spielberg was entirely worthy.

Jessica Chastain - Best Actress

Molly's Game wasn't expected to be a major contender at the Academy Awards. Aaron Sorkin received a nomination for his screenplay, which is becoming a common occurrence for the man, but the heart and soul of the film was left out. Jessica Chastain carries Molly's Game on her shoulders. She's in nearly every shot of the film, and she delivers Sorkin's Oscar-worthy dialogue with skill. If there was any other nomination that Molly's Game should have received, it was for Chastain's performance. A screenplay is only as good as the people who perform it, after all.

Wonder Woman - Best Picture

Two comic book movies did receive an Oscar nomination this morning, as Logan received a somewhat-surprising but not undeserved nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 picked up a Visual Effects nod. However, the comic book character that really owned the cinema last year wasn't Logan or the Guardians, it was Wonder Woman. In a field of up to 10 Best Picture nominees, it's not uncommon for some popular films to make the cut, even if the chance of seeing a win is slight. Wonder Woman could, and should, have done exactly that. The movie was a revolution for many viewers and it was ignored.

Tiffany Haddish - Best Supporting Actress

The Best Supporting Actress category is stacked this year, there's no doubt about that. However, the most talked about supporting performance this year didn't actually come from any of these nominees. The acting surprise of the year was Tiffany Haddish in the comedy Girls Trip. It wasn't the sort of role that tends to get nominated, much less win, at the Academy Awards, but that doesn't make it any less deserving. It would have been nice to see comedy get a bit more love.

Armie Hammer - Best Supporting Actor

Timothee Chalamet received a nomination for Best Actor this morning for Call Me by Your Name, and that was not undeserved. However, the film is about a relationship between two men, and thus, Chalamet can only be as good as the person he's acting against. Armie Hammer is just as good in Call Me by Your Name and should have received a nomination alongside his co-star. With the movie picking up a Best Picture nomination as well, it shows that there was more greatness in the film than simply this one performance, but Hammer was not recognized.

Tom Hanks - Best Actor

The Post felt like a movie designed in a lab to win Oscars. It had numerous Academy Award winners both in front of and behind the camera. The thing is, there's a reason these people win awards all the time. They're just that good. Tom Hanks is that good in The Post, and while Meryl Streep did receive a nomination for her performance, Hanks did not. Similar to Steven Spielberg's snub, this one seemed pretty obvious, but apparently, the category was just a little too stacked this year.

James Franco - Best Actor

James Franco won the Golden Globe for his portrayal of Tommy Wiseau in The Disaster Artist and the film was roundly praised by critics overall. While it's impossible for everybody nominated for the Globes to get nominated for Oscars, you sort of expect the winners to make the cut. That didn't happen here, and there's no way to avoid looking at that as a snub. Franco embodies Tommy Wiseau in an absolutely mesmerizing way. It's a remarkable performance that was worthy of recognition.

The Florida Project - Numerous Categories

While The Florida Project wasn't released during "awards season," when it was released earlier this year it was looked at as a very strong early Oscar contender. Cut to the nominations today, and all the movie received was a single nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Willem Dafoe. Florida Project could have seen additional acting nominations, as well as nods for its screenplay, nevermind Best Picture. It's nice that the film wasn't entirely forgotten, but one gets the impression if it had been released later in the year, it would have received more recognition.

The Disaster Artist - Best Picture

Since the Oscars can nominate up to 10 films for Best Picture, there are a lot of movies that you can sort of expect to be nominated any given year. The Disaster Artist was one of those films, and yet, it somehow didn't make the cut. The screenplay was good enough for a nomination, but that's all it ended up with. It's surprising because there is usually little that the Oscars love more than movies about making movies. While The Disaster Artist isn't about making a good movie, it is, itself, a good movie.

Watch all the Oscar contenders on FandangoNOW!

The cast members of Saturday Night Live have to be ready for anything when the show goes live, and that includes being sick. Leslie Jones wasn't prepared for that when James Franco was on the show back in December, and her lack of anticipation led to an incredibly gross story which almost ended in her throwing up on Franco and some of of the cast on live television. Watch Jones tell the story, which concludes right around the 1:40 mark, on Late Night With Seth Meyers below:

Leslie Jones is a trooper for making it through that Saturday Night Live sketch without vomiting, since most people wouldn't have held strong in her situation. Unsurprisingly, not vomiting was about all Jones could do as the cast tried to keep the sketch going while she gathered all her strength to prevent from being the cast member who blew chunks on air. This included jogging in place, making very aggressive and semi-pukey sounds, and not grabbing James Franco by the throat and shouting at him for spitting fake blood into her mouth.

There's no way of proving for sure whether or not James Franco intentionally waited to spit the blood before Leslie Jones started speaking, although the smirk he had throughout the Saturday Night Live sketch is highly incriminating. Franco's not the only one who smirked though, as everyone but Jones tried their best not to fall apart and die of laughter while she suffered on stage. Jones didn't appear to be the only one suffering though, as Kate McKinnon appeared anxious at times throughout as Franco slung blood every which way. To be honest, it's a miracle the fake blood only ended up getting in Jones' mouth!

The pictures shown in the clip from Late Night With Seth Meyers are helpful in telling the story, but in no way do the sketch justice. Watching the sketch after hearing Leslie Jones' story shows all the hilarious and horrifying details just as she told them, but it's even better with context. While the whole thing is gold from start to finish, the highlight has to be when Kenan Thompson decided his co-star had suffered enough and attempted to give her an exit, to which Jones struggled to ensure everyone she's fine before she dry-heaved for the umpteenth time:

Hopefully, Leslie Jones will not have to deal with any more blood skits in the future. Unfortunately, that wasn't the first time Saturday Night Live did an excessive blood skit, so there's always a chance someone could work it back in at a later date just to screw with Jones. Let's hope not, though; Jones might be able to hold it together once, but who knows what will come out of her mouth (swears included) if she's ever in a skit with a lot of blood again!

Leslie Jones will have another chance to puke live from New York as Saturday Night Live is all-new on NBC this Saturday, January, 20 at 11:30 p.m. ET. As for Late Night With Seth Meyers, the late show airs weekdays at 11:35 p.m. ET. Those looking for some new television to watch should visit our midseason premiere guide.

It was a memorable moment in an unremarkable ceremony. With James Franco picking up a Golden Globes win for The Disaster Artist, he was accompanied to the stage by the man he plays in the movie -- the eccentric and unpredictable director of The Room, Tommy Wiseau. When the duo reached the stage, Wiseau reached for the microphone, but he was blocked by Franco, who (rightfully) feared with Tommy might say on a nationally televised program. Now, however, we know what Tommy Wiseau would have said had he been able to speak into the mic, as he confessed his speech would have included:

This has been a remarkable run for Tommy Wiseau, who told the L.A. Times what he would have said at the Globes if given the chance. The man already has milked virtually everything that he could off of the cult status of his spectacularly awful movie, The Room. The film is so bad, it's screened regularly for audiences who want to make fun of it -- and celebrate its atrociousness -- en masse. But now The Room has a legit champion in James Franco, who together with his best friend (Seth Rogen) and his brother (Dave Franco) made a loving tribute to the making-of this awkward nightmare of a drama in The Disaster Artist. So Wiseau's right. The world is his oyster at the moment, after years of him being a laughingstock-turned-cult-hero. The American Dream is real.

Tommy Wiseau also is peaking as someone who is probably very happy to be invited to the party, as The Disaster Artist painted him as a bit of an outsider to the Entertainment Industry who was looked down on by casting agents and rejected by producers. These snubs allegedly led to him taking on The Room himself, writing, directing and funding this oddball endeavor. Never in his wildest dreams did Tommy probably imagine that he'd be on stage for the Globes, so when he finally got there, he reached for the mic. It looked like this:

Tommy Wiseau may get more opportunities to grab the mic away from James Franco. The Academy is currently convening and weighing their possible Oscar nominees. The Disaster Artist has a very good chance of staying in the conversation, and Franco might be in the Best Actor race. If he can pull off a win at the Academy Awards, there's no way he's NOT bringing Tommy on stage at the Oscars. Will he let him speak? We'll find out soon enough.

There is not a great deal of correlation between the results of the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. While the two shows do typically look at the same crop of movies considered to be the best of their given year, their voter groups are entirely unique with zero crossover, and it's often that their ultimate choices don't sync up. Because of this, one probably shouldn't see James Franco's big win tonight in the Best Actor -- Comedy/Musical category as any kind of precognition of what to expect on Oscar night -- but if the Academy voters are smart, they will heavily consider the win, and start to look at Franco much more seriously for their equivalent category.

James Franco is a talented actor with a strong reputation in this industry, and it's noteworthy that the Oscars have paid attention to his skills before. While he's certainly no awards show host, his brilliant lead turn in Danny Boyle's 127 Hours did earn him a prodigious nomination that saw him in a group with the likes of Colin Firth, Javier Bardem, Jeff Bridges, and Jesse Eisenberg. Now it's Franco's time to be recognized again, this time for his work starring as Tommy Wiseau in The Disaster Artist, and more than that, he needs to be looked at as a serious contender to take home the hardware.

Plain and simple, what James Franco delivers performance-wise in his latest directorial effort is nothing short of phenomenal. Tommy Wiseau is an insanely goofy, entirely enigmatic figure who could easily be portrayed incorrectly - turned into a living cartoon. Franco certainly doesn't shy away from this weirdness (it's crucial to the portrayal), but what makes it special is that he never ignores the heart of a wanna-be artist who just wants his chance to create. It's the difference of showing Wiseau as a character instead of a caricature, and Franco does a magical job. He utterly disappears into the part, disguised behind long hair and pale contacts, and shows the true power of his talent playing a man who is quite possibly the worst actor alive.

Impressive as that is alone, however, the Oscars famously reward actors who really go the extra mile in their performance, and that's something that they need to see in James Franco's work for The Disaster Artist. Not only does Franco star as the director in a movie about the making of a movie, but he also directed the movie about the making of a movie while staying in character. It's pretty risky to channel the man behind The Room while at the helm of a star-studded comedy, but that's what the actor-cum-director did, and he wound up generating a masterpiece (and not an ironic one).

As showcased tonight at the Golden Globes, James Franco will certainly have plenty of competition at this year's Academy Awards - and there will be half the number of nominations available. In addition to Franco, the Hollywood Foreign Press rightly identified some of the best turns of the year, including Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour, Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out, Tom Hanks in The Post, and Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread. Regardless of who the other nominees wind up being, though, one of those slots should go to Franco because he deserves it. Goofy as it may be, his portrayal of Tommy Wiseau was one of the most fascinating and engaging of 2017, and there aren't many other performances quite as bold as his.

The Academy Awards has a history of turning its nose up at comedy, not seeing it worthy of the same prestige as great dramas. This is a prejudice that the organization needs to look past in general, but it can start with The Disaster Artist. In it, James Franco puts on the best performance of what has been a really impressive carrier, and it deserves to be recognized. The Golden Globes did it tonight, and the Oscars should follow suit.

The Golden Globes are typically a rather raucous affair, with actors and filmmakers using the show to drink a bit too much and get silly. That wasn't really the tone of the 2018 proceedings, with the run of recent news out of Hollywood casting a shadow over the event, but that didn't stop some legitimately funny jokes from being told, and hilarious moments from going down. Seth Meyers was sharp in his opening monologue, and the talented folks populating the event brought the giggles.

There were many laugh-out-loud moments from tonight's show, but below and across the next few pages we've highlighted our five favorites. Read on, and tell us what you think were the funniest bits of the 2018 Golden Globes in the comments section below.

The Harvey Weinstein In Memorium Joke

Nowadays, Harvey Weinstein's name might as well be a curse word in Hollywood, and Seth Meyers treated it as such at the Golden Globes. He rightly pointed out that it's going to be a long, long time before Weinstein is mentioned at any awards show for years to come. Specifically, it will be 20 years from now during the In Memorial reel... and receive a round of boos. As noted by Meyers, the joke got a reaction from the audience that accurately predicted what it will sound like then -- but it just got laughs here at home.

Willem Dafoe Reacts To His Own Name

In recent months, distressing news has been erupting from Hollywood regularly, with actors constantly being called out for their absolutely horrible and horrific behavior out of the public eye over the years. It's gotten to a point where a context-less mention of any male star in public conversation will immediately illicit some worried requests for more details. Seth Meyers recognized this current atmosphere in his opening monologue, using a namedrop of "Willem Defoe" as an example -- and it turned out to be a perfect choice. The look on Dafoe's face was priceless, and gave us one of the funniest moments of the night.

"I've done a lot of indies and it's nice to be in a movie people see."

Sam Rockwell has a handful of $100 million movies on his resume, including Iron Man 2, The Green Mile, and Charlie's Angels, but the bulk of his career has been spent making smaller features with smaller budgets. This has resulted in him never really getting a ton of mainstream attention... but that changed majorly tonight. Winning the Best Supporting Actor prize for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Rockwell took home his first major award, and helped earn one of the best movies of the year a lot of positive attention (the wins for Best Actress -- Drama, Best Screenplay, and Best Picture -- Drama didn't hurt either). Of course, the big funny here is that Three Billboards has only made $25.3 million to date domestically - though that number could certainly grow much bigger in coming weeks if Fox Searchlight continues to put it in more theaters (as it did this past weekend).

Seth Rogen Describes His First Experience With The Room

There are plenty of movies that wind up with odd distribution methods, utilized in order to qualify for awards season, but the way The Room found its way to audience was far stranger than anything even remotely similar. Writer/director Tommy Wiseau funded a billboard campaign that had his phone number on it, allowing people to call and ask for tickets, and apparently Seth Rogen was one of the people who actually dialed the number. Rogen told this story while preparing the crowd for a preview of Best Picture -- Comedy/Musical The Disaster Artist, and just reflecting on the absurdity of it all made for one of the most smile-inducing moments of the entire show.

James Franco Keeps Tommy Wiseau Away From The Mic

As anyone who has seen The Room or The Disaster Artist can attest, Tommy Wiseau is a bit of a wild card. An enigma in every sense of the world, you never really know how he is going to act or what he is going to say at any given moment. Because of this, it's definitely best to keep him away from any live microphone, and that's exactly what James Franco did this evening. While the Best Actor -- Comedy/Musical winner was giving his acceptance speech, Wiseau made his way to the stage and tried to say something about the moment himself, but Franco made the wise decision to stop him. We may never know what he was going to say.

The film industry has created plenty of iconic figures over the years, but few quite so singularly recognizable as Tommy Wiseau. The director of The Room has cultivated a bizarre following in the years since the film first made its debut, and that long history finally culminated in James Franco's Golden Globe in for portraying him in The Disaster Artist. Wiseau actually joined Franco on the stage during the acceptance, and as many fans likely expected, things got really weird really fast. Check out a GIF of the moment below.

From the moment we saw Tommy walking towards the stage, we had a feeling that he would try something. It is also reasonably clear that James Franco had a feeling as well, because as that GIF clearly shows, he was not about to let Tommy anywhere near the microphone as he went into the history of the making of The Room and The Disaster Artist. If you have seen The Room, then you likely already know that Tommy has become known as a wild card and one of Hollywood's biggest eccentrics.

Seriously, go back and look at that GIF. Even Dave Franco looks slightly concerned about what Tommy would've said.

Of course, even without Tommy's potential monologue, James Franco made a point to go into detail on how insane the legacy of The Room truly is. Tommy Wiseau really did put up a billboard in Los Angeles with his own personal phone number (something that appears in The Disaster Artist) and cultivated an entire Hollywood identity out of his status as a pariah -- something that he continues to do with The Room collaborator Greg Sestero to this very day.

The connection between Tommy Wiseau and James Franco (similarly known as a bit of an eccentric at times) is something that has become well-established through the lead-up to The Disaster Artist, as well as its release. The two apparently bonded over a mutual connection to James Dean during the development of The Disaster Artist, and that also appears to have blossomed into a bit of a friendship (even if Franco would not let Wiseau actually speak on the stage). Wiseau has spoken at length about his feelings towards The Disaster Artist, and he also says that he believes that it has his "99.9 %" approval -- he only criticizes the short-range football tosses.

Make sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more up-to-date information on the Golden Globes ceremony winners and losers (as well as any other crazy stories) as the evening progresses. Looking beyond the first major awards ceremony of the year, you can also take a look at our 2018 movie premiere guide to see what else is on the horizon for the next year.

There are many ways to promote an upcoming movie, from running television ads to marketing on certain products. One of the simplest ways to capture attentions in metropolitan areas is to rent a billboard. That's what Tommy Wiseau did for The Room back in 2003, and James Franco did the same for The Disaster Artist. The Disaster Artist's billboard looks almost exactly like how The Room's did, which includes displaying a phone number for folks to call. While The Room's number was merely a way for you to RSVP for the movie, there's a chance that if you call The Disaster Artist's number, you'll get to chat with Franco in character as Wiseau. Watch the below video for an example.

Considering how much the internet has grown since 2003, few people, if any, would need to call a number to reserve tickets for The Disaster Artist or any other movie. So instead, that number on The Disaster Artist billboard is for a flip phone that James Franco carries around with him, and whenever he feels like it, he can answer it and start talking with folks as Tommy Wiseau. Franco has been doing this for a while, as costar and co-producer Seth Rogen revealed on social media, but while visiting Conan last night, Franco took the opportunity to clue even more people in on the fun. Breaking out the phone during the interview, Franco started chatting with someone from New Zealand who's familiar with Wiseau, but evidently didn't know who Conan O'Brien is, as he initially thought "Wiseau" was talking about Conan the Barbarian, and later, Conan Washington (I don't know who that's supposed to be either).

After the call ended, Franco revealed that he's received over 200,000 calls, though one can logically surmise that Franco only answers a fraction of those. So if you dial 323-616-2024, be prepared for the possibility that James Franco might answer the phone as Tommy Wiseau. Considering that The Disaster Artist is completed and available to the masses, it's the best chance you'll have to interact with this "character." That is, of course, unless you run into the real Tommy Wiseau, in which case that's even better!

Based off the book The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Film Ever Made, The Disaster Artist movie chronicles Tommy Wiseau making The Room with fellow actor Greg Sestero. Along with James Franco, Dave Franco and Seth Rogen, the cast includes Ari Graynor, Josh Hutchinson, Jacki Weaver, Alison Brie, Megan Mullally, Hannibal Buress and many more. The Disaster Artist has been met with critical acclaim and was nominated for two Golden Globes last week.

The Disaster Artist is now playing in theaters, and be sure to read our review of the movie. For those of you wanting to plan your trips to the theater next year, head over to our 2018 premiere guide for release date information.

Making a movie about "cult" material can be a tricky thing. While there is obviously a built-in audience that will totally understand everything that's being referenced, there also exists the very real risk of alienating everyone else that isn't in on every joke. It's a fine line that is walked by James Franco's The Disaster Artist, but if you haven't seen the film that inspired it, Tommy Wiseau's The Room, you don't have to worry. According to the director/star, watching the famously terrible indie movie is not a prerequisite before screening the new comedy. Said Franco,

James Franco's answer regarding the relationship between The Room and The Disaster Artist was short and sweet when he recently spoke with a reporter from The Wrap, assuring movie-goers that a viewing of the former is not needed before a screening of the latter. Instead, he suggests that the larger themes of the film make it universally acceptable, with any viewer able to click with the story because of the central relationship that exists between the two leads.

In the movie, Dave Franco stars as Greg Sestero, an aspiring actor who lacks the confidence necessary to really put himself into a performance. It's this personal flaw that ultimately draws him to Tommy Wiseau (James Franco), a student in his San Francisco acting class who he sees as fearless. Despite the fact that Tommy is a total enigma - never revealing any personal details about his life - the two strike up an immediate bond, and travel to Los Angeles together in pursuit of their shared dream. Their lack of talent and constant rejection eventually leads them to make The Room together, but as the elder Franco notes, The Disaster Artist is much more about Greg and Tommy's relationship than a simple "Making Of" feature.

James Franco's sentiment about The Room not being necessary viewing is a perspective that is also shared by The Disaster Artist actress Ari Graynor, who plays actress Juliette in the new film. Speaking with The Wrap, she explained that you don't have to screen The Room before you see The Disaster Artist, though she admitted that you do get a little more out of the experience knowing the background:

The Disaster Artist is in limited release now, but given the response it's getting at the box office, it won't be surprising to see it soon expanding to many more theaters around the country. If you can, we highly recommend buying a ticket, as it's truly one of the best movies of the year (and a title you're going to see on a lot of Best of 2017 lists in the coming weeks).

The Disaster Artist hit theaters this weekend, and the movie is already drumming up some awards season buzz. Chief among the praise is James Franco's portrayal of Tommy Wiseau, the man who wrote, directed, produced and starred in The Room, the best bad movie ever made. Wiseau is a unique figure to be sure, and critics are shining a light on Franco's spot-on performance capturing all of Wiseau's quirks. Aside from his fashion sense, Wiseau is known for his mysterious accent, which no one has ever really been able to place. Watch Franco slide into his Wiseau impression effortlessly in the clip below.

James Franco pulls double duty on The Disaster Artist, both directing and starring in the movie. Franco plays Tommy Wiseau, an enigmatic figure with big Hollywood dreams who decided to create his own movie, The Room. To promote The Disaster Artist, Franco appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and previewed just a little of his Wiseau impression. If you've never heard Wiseau speak before, just know that Franco does a really good impression of him, capturing his vaguely Eastern European accent to the letter. Franco slides into the voice no problem, switching back and forth between his own voice and Wiseau's for Fallon. Considering that Franco directed the movie in-character, he's pretty good at the voice by now.

Using his Tommy Wiseau impression, James Franco told a fun story about how he convinced Wiseau to let Franco play him in The Disaster Artist. During a phone conversation, after Franco got the okay to direct, he asked Wiseau what actor should play him in the movie. Wiseau simply said, "Johnny Depp," (which is such a perfect Wiseau answer of expectations vs. reality), and when Franco laughed, he asked "What so funny?" His second choice was James Franco.

If you don't know much about Tommy Wiseau, then you share something in common with almost everyone else on the planet. Wiseau's backstory is a mystery, and no one is quite sure where he comes from or even how old he is. This is partly due to Wiseau telling conflicting details about his own past, and even his accent doesn't quite give much away. He rose to stardom after The Room became a hit in the midnight movie screening circuit.

Directed by James Franco, The Disaster Artist is based on the true story behind the making of The Room, said to be The Citizen Kane of bad movies. Franco leads the film as the mastermind behind The Room, Tommy Wiseau, while his brother Dave Franco stars as Wiseau's friend, Greg Sestero. The movie is out in theaters right now. If you seen The Room, but still want to check out The Disaster Artist, then bone up on all the facts you need to know about The Room with our handy guide.

One movie that has cinephiles everywhere excited is James Franco's The Disaster Artist. Arriving in theaters this month, The Disaster Artist tells the outrageous story behind the making of what is said to be the worst movie ever made, The Room. The Disaster Artist has some good awards buzz going for it right now, and critics have been giving it positive reviews, which is far more than can be said about the original theatrical run of The Room. It's debatable how much of The Room a viewer needs to be aware of to fully enjoy The Disaster Artist, but if you've never seen it, we've got you covered.

The brainchild of wannabe movie star Tommy Wiseau, The Room has been described as the Citizen Kane of bad movies. Just about anything a movie can do wrong is done in The Room multiple times, leading to a film so nonsensical and terrible that it's actually brilliant because of what a trainwreck it ends up being. The Room has gained a massive cult following over the years, becoming a favorite of midnight movie screenings around the globe. The story behind the making of The Room is just as crazy as the movie itself, so if you really want to understand The Disaster Artist, then sit back and let us guide you through the journey that is The Room.

What 'The Room' Is About

Describing The Room is... difficult. The movie has so many abandoned subplots and supporting characters that are introduced and then never show up again, that it can be hard to pin down what you're actually watching. Essentially, the main plot is a love triangle between banker Johnny (Tommy Wiseau -- don't worry, we'll get more into him), his fiancee Lisa (Juliette Danielle), and his best friend Mark (Greg Sestero). There's also stuff about a drug dealer, an attempted murder, weird sex scenes, football, and breast cancer that is never again addressed in the film. It's hard to justify it all with just words alone, but the bad acting, terrible dialogue, and a ton of other strange details (there are random framed pictures of spoons) all come together in a perfect storm that makes The Room a must-watch for movie fans.

It's The Brainchild Of Tommy Wiseau

The Room is pretty much the sole creative vision of a man named Tommy Wiseau. Not only did Wiseau star in the lead role, but he also directed, produced, wrote the screenplay, and personally financed the budget. Originally, Wiseau conceived of The Room as a stage play in 2001. Then Wiseau claims that he adapted the play into a 500-page novel, but failed to get it published. Eventually, he began to adapt it into an independent movie production, with himself in total creative control. Almost everything seen on screen can be credited to Wiseau and his very specific vision and tastes. It should come as no surprise that he's kind of an odd guy.

Nobody Knows Anything About Tommy Wiseau's Background

Tommy Wiseau is a human puzzle box, but one that completely changes the second you think you've started to figure it out. Much like his movie, Tommy Wiseau himself has been elevated to a cult status. Nobody really knows where Wiseau is from, or even how old he is (this is a running joke in The Disaster Artist). Wiseau claims to have been born in France, in his words, "a long time ago," and he often gives conflicting details about his own background. He supposedly moved to New Orleans, Louisiana where he eventually found his way to San Fransisco, California. Greg Sestero claims to have found immigration papers that say Wiseau was born in an Eastern Bloc country in the 1950s, while an entire documentary about The Room made its own conclusion that he is from Poland. Recently, Wiseau told Jimmy Kimmel that he was "originally from Europe."

'The Room's' Budget Was $6 Million

It may look cheap as hell, but The Room was anything but. The film had a budget of a whopping $6 million dollars. Cultural Weekly did a study in 2014 that the average budget for an independent film was found to be around $750,000 per movie.The Room's budget is over $5 million more than a typical indie movie. As to why the cost of the movie was so high, those close to production claim it was a number of things, like buying unnecessary equipment and using green screen instead of just filming on location. Wiseau paid for the budget himself, and, you guessed it, no one really knows how he got his money. Wiseau claims to have held a number of odd jobs throughout his life, ranging from a busboy to a fashion vendor (he has his own underwear line), but he may have become independently wealthy from selling and renting retail space. Some on the crew (which was 400 people, btw) thought that The Room might have been a money laundering scheme for organized crime, but there's no evidence of that.

It Was A Production Nightmare

The Room may as well be a textbook for everything not to do when making a movie. The whole thing was said to be extremely difficult to produce, with the odd demands of Tommy Wiseau playing a big part in that. The script was apparently incompressible, but Wiseau insisted that the words be spoken exactly as they were written, though, several monologues were cut. The Room shot on both a film and video camera at the same time, with two different camera crews needed to operate them; they only ever used to film footage. The crew had to be replaced at least two to four times. Actors had multiple understudies and needed to be replaced on more than one occasion, while some crew members would be doing several jobs. Minutes-long dialogue scenes would take hours to film because Wiseau could not remember his lines. You will likely see a lot of these examples in The Disaster Artist. All in all, it took six months to shoot The Room.

The Main Character Was Almost A Vampire

As if The Room weren't weird enough, the cherry on top of the sundae would have been revealing that Johnny was actually a vampire the whole time. Apparently, Tommy Wiseau had a fascination with vampires and at one point seriously considered revealing that Johnny was a bloodsucker. According to Greg Sestero, Wiseau tasked the crew with coming up with a way to do a sequence where Johnny's Mercedes-Benz would lift off of his townhouse and fly across the San Fransisco skyline. This was meant to clue in the audience on Johnny's vampiric nature, because what other explanation would there be for a flying car? Honestly, I kind of wish that they had gone for this ending. It would have been the perfect WTF way to cap of what's already a very weird movie.

It's Not Supposed To Be A Comedy

Despite the film's reputation as a laugh-out-loud comedy event, The Room was never meant to be a comedy. It's supposed to be a drama that serves as "an advisory warning about the perils of having friends." However, The Room is so unquestionably bad, that it's become hilarious. That's just the inherent fun in bad movies and The Room is the best bad movie. Since the release of The Room, Tommy Wiseau has retroactively said that it's a black comedy, but audiences generally agree that it's a poorly made drama.

'The Room' Is A Midnight Movie Classic

When The Room released in limited theaters in California, it wasn't received well. Critics slammed it, and the few people that did see it didn't have many nice things to say. However, a word-of-mouth campaign began spreading about how terrible the movie was, encouraging groups of friends to see and mock The Room. This sudden interest in the film sparked several extra bookings in the midnight movie circuit (traditionally reserved for B movies or cult films). These proved to be extremely popular as audiences would interact with the film in a fashion similar to The Rocky Horror Picture Show; people throw spoons at the screen, recite lines together, and toss footballs to each other. These are incredibly fun screenings, and you should try to find one near you if you ever get the chance. The Room screens regularly worldwide, with Tommy Wiseau and some other members of the cast making appearances and embracing the cult status. Find out where it's screening by going here.

There's A Tell-All Book Called The Disaster Artist

The making of The Room was just too ridiculous a tale to not be told. Greg Sestero, who starred as best friend Mark, wrote a tell-all novel about his relationship with Tommy Wiseau and the filming of The Room called, The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made. Sestero goes into detail about how he first met Wiseau in an acting class and the two became friends. They were both frustrated actors, which eventually led to Wiseau's inspiration to simply make his own film with Sestero tagging along, originally as the line producer before agreeing to star as well. The novel is full of interesting details about The Room, and Sestero's own suspicions about the origins of Wiseau. Sestero also narrates the audiobook, which is VERY worth it. The novel, of course, serves as the basis for a full-length feature film, making the odd story of The Room come full circle.

In the realm of cinematic enigmas, there are few modern stories stranger than the tale of Tommy Wiseau and The Room. The former is unquestionably one of the most untalented actor/filmmakers to ever grace this planet; and the latter, his most famous work, is so incredibly bizarre and terrible that you question whether it was actually made by a sane human mind. A dictionary definition of "so bad it's good," the 2003 film is a unique experience that leaves you helplessly wondering about all of the terrible decisions that were made leading to its creation.

Thankfully, we now have James Franco's The Disaster Artist to tell that particular story -- and it is successfully as weird and funny as you would hope. Showcasing fantastic turns from both Franco and his brother, Dave; a mile-long list of funny and surprising cameos; and what is legitimately a heart-felt story about passion and expression, it's the fantastic result of a brilliant stranger-than-fiction tale falling in the hands of the perfect cast and crew, and comes together as one of the best movies of the year.

Scripted by the talented duo Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, The Disaster Artist starts by taking audiences back to San Francisco in the year 1998. It is there that we are introduced to Greg Sestero (Dave Franco), a young aspiring actor who lacks the confidence required to give him any kind of presence. It's because of this, however, that Greg finds himself somewhat in awe of Tommy Wiseau (James Franco), an oddball, pale-eyed, strange-looking member of his acting class who leans towards what can be subtly described as "explosive drama." Drawn in by Tommy's self-assurance and blinded to the fact that he's absolutely talentless, Greg seeks him out for guidance, and a friendship is quickly formed.

Greg quickly finds out that the more you know about Tommy, the less you know about him. While clearly an older guy, he claims to be as young as 19. While he speaks with an often-unintelligible accent, he claims to have been born and raised in New Orleans. And while he comes across as a complete moron, he possesses an immense fortune that basically lets him do whatever he wants. Naturally, never really questioning any of this is what allows Greg to form a close bond with Tommy, and after a few months working together they decide to make a run at their Hollywood dreams and move down to Los Angeles.

Like millions before them, Greg and Tommy find the film industry to be a haven of rejection, and their dreams of achieving stardom flicker with every failed audition. It's because of this disappointment, however, that they are sparked to a "brilliant" idea: if they can't get hired to star in other peoples' movies, they can just make a movie themselves. Tommy is inspired to write and direct The Room -- his vision of a romantic drama with himself in the lead role, and soon the wheels are in motion, with the production picking up a full cast and crew. But, of course, this is an endeavor spearheaded by an "idiotcrazyman," and a never-ending series of terrible decisions quickly cause things to unravel.

The Disaster Artist marks the first time that the Franco brothers have collaborated, and while they respectively have very different material to work with, they're really both magnificent. As you would expect, Tommy's unique personality makes James Franco the principal eye-catcher, but it goes much further than that. Playing the cult movie icon requires an authentic, transformative performance really unlike anything we've previously seen from the actor/director, and he successfully adds an important humanity to a guy who comes across as an extraterrestrial's interpretation of a person. He certainly maintains an air of mystery in his characterization (you shouldn't expect to fully understand The Room by the time the credits roll), but you also understand him through his motivations, priorities and relationships -- screwed up as they all may be.

Not only as Tommy but also as the director of the film, James Franco will certainly draw the lot of the acclaim for The Disaster Artist, but what Dave Franco delivers deserves due recognition as well. Greg Sestero could easily come across as a fool for not understanding Tommy Wiseau's lack of talent, or possibly even sinister given the resources provided to him by the friendship, but the younger Franco halts that with an impressive earnestness and sense of innocent ambition. While the world at large clearly doesn't understand Tommy, he sells that he really does, and it adds a certain magic to the narrative.

Clearly the fact that that Francos are siblings adds a special layer to The Disaster Artist, but the movie is also wonderfully enhanced by the director's status in film community, given the impressive star power that the indie movie possesses. Seth Rogen, who has been working with James Franco since the 1999 TV series Freaks and Geeks, and Paul Scheer are standouts, playing key members of the Room crew who find themselves in constant befuddlement regarding what's going through Tommy's mind, but they are just two of the many, many recognizable faces brought together to recreate this story -- all of whom find a memorable moment to play within the story. It not only supports the film from a comedic perspective, as many of the actors rank among the industry's funniest performers and have opportunity to demonstrate their gifts, but even somewhat completes the full ambition of The Room -- which was always imagined as a "big Hollywood movie," and now has the star power it always wanted.

The Disaster Artist is a love letter to The Room, a feature that has delivered a lot of unintentional joy to the cinematic world in the last 14 years, and those familiar with the cult title will have an enhanced appreciation for it. But it's not solely a film for that audience. Even if you've never heard of The Room, what James Franco has to offer here a fantastic, hilarious true Hollywood story that is as phenomenal as its subject matter is awful.

Tommy Wiseau, writer and director of the notoriously terrible film The Room, is a fascinating enigma. Nobody knows where he really comes from; nobody knows how old he is; and nobody knows how he made his impressive fortune. These are the kind of things that an actor typically needs to know about a person prior to a portrayal in a feature film, but they simply weren't available to James Franco in the making of his new movie, The Disaster Artist. Still, Franco was ultimately able to find a way to connect with the mysterious "filmmaker" for his performance, and as he recently revealed to me in an interview, a key piece of the puzzle was their shared affection for James Dean. Franco explained,

I had the fantastic opportunity to sit down with both James and Dave Franco, the stars of The Disaster Artist, during the film's press day in Los Angeles earlier this month, and a good portion of our conversation was spent discussing the mystery that is Tommy Wiseau. I opened my interview noting just how little is known about the writer/director behind one of the most entertaining bad movies ever made, and James Franco expressed that he was never actually interested in answering the three biggest questions about the man. Rather, he found a personal connection to Wiseau through their shared affection for James Dean, and noted that it's arguably just genetics that saw the two of them take very different paths in their careers (including actually playing Dean in the 2001 TV biopic James Dean).

The connection Tommy Wiseau sees between himself and James Dean is very present in The Disaster Artist, even beyond a scene where Tommy watches Rebel Without A Cause with Dave Franco's Greg Sestero. One of the most awful moments in The Room -- Wiseau delivering the world's worst line delivery of, "You're tearing me apart, Lisa" -- is actually an homage to the classic film, and one of Dean's more impactful big screen moments in his limited career.

You can watch James Franco discuss his funny personal connection with Tommy Wiseau by clicking play on the video below.

With James Dean close to his heart, James Franco may find playing Tommy Wiseau earn him his second Academy Award nomination for The Disaster Artist -- and it would certainly be deserving. Don't believe us? Just check out the film for yourself, which is in limited release this Friday, December 1st, and will be in theaters nationwide on December 8th.

Being a movie about the making of a movie, there is a certain natural meta quality inherent in The Disaster Artist -- but the roles played by James Franco within the production make it a unique beast. Not only is it a movie about the making of a movie (specifically the notoriously terrible The Room), but it's made by a director (Franco) who is also starring as the director of the movie within the movie (the notorious Tommy Wiseau) that the movie is about. When you also throw in the fact that Franco would often direct The Disaster Artist while staying in character, you're left with a film that Seth Rogen believes is unlike anything else that has been attempted in the medium. He recently told me,

Seth Rogen, who first worked with James Franco back in 1999 on the cult TV series Freaks & Geeks, stars in The Disaster Artist as script supervisor Sandy Schklair, and earlier this month joined co-stars Ari Graynor and Paul Scheer for interviews during the Los Angeles press day. When I had the chance to sit down with the trio, my first question was about whether or not Franco would actually direct the film in character Tommy Wiseau, or create a separation between jobs -- and they explained that it was more than just a minor thing during production.

As it turns out, James Franco wound up drawing no distinction between his job as an actor and a director in the making of The Disaster Artist, and pretty much impressed the hell out of his cast. Picking up where Rogen left off, Ari Graynor and Paul Scheer explained that he was always very specific in what he was doing as the director of the film, but at the same was making calls from a strange kind of hybrid mind space. Said the actors,

Driving it home, Seth Rogen chimed back in noting that it didn't ultimately matter what perspective James Franco was coming from in the making of The Disaster Artist. Whether he was "James" or "Tommy," he was their director and he was calling the shots:

Given how amazing The Disaster Artist turned out, it sounds like listening to James Franco during the making of the movie was definitely the right choice.

You can watch the three actors discuss their odd time working with James Franco/Tommy Wiseau on the set of The Disaster Artist by clicking play on the video below.

The Disaster Artist, which also stars Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Zac Efron, Josh Hutcherson, and many more, arrives in limited release this Friday, December 1st, and will be going wide nationwide next week on December 8th.

As the main X-Men film series continues chugging along, the mutant-centric franchise has been expanding with spinoffs like Deadpool, Logan and more. Now we can add one more project to this growing cinematic universe, and it'll have James Franco leading the charge. The Disaster Artist star has been tapped to appear in a movie centered on Multiple Man.

Along with James Franco playing Jamie Madrox, a.k.a. Multiple Man, Deadline reports that Wonder Woman's Allan Heinberg has been tapped to write the script, while longtime X-Men films creative mind Simon Kinberg will produce the project through his Genre Films production company. Franco's own company, Ramona Films, will also produce. A director hasn't been chosen yet. Franco will be the second actor to play Multiple Man in a theatrical setting, previously portrayed by Eric Dane in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand. This also won't be Franco's first foray into comic book media, as he previously played Harry Osborn in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy.

Introduced in 1975's Giant Size Fantastic Four #4, Multiple Man (as his name suggests) is able to create copies of himself. The amount of copies he can generate varies; during with time on X-Factor, the maximum was 50, but there have been times when that number was significantly higher. Regardless, when it comes to manpower, he's the guy you want on your team. Jamie's copies also have independent thought, so whenever he absorbs them back into himself, he collects the knowledge and skills that they obtained during their time "alive," though this has also led to him suffering from mental instability. The absorption process can also sometimes heal his injuries, although this doesn't work as efficiently as something like Wolverine's healing factor.

His allegiance to Magneto and the Brotherhood in X-Men: The Last Stand aside, Multiple Man is primarily depicted in the comics as a protagonist, whether it's as a standard superhero or as a private investigator. Aside from X-Men: The Last Stand, Multiple Man's other appearances outside the comics include the '90s X-Men animated series, X-Men: Evolution, Wolverine and the X-Men, X-Men II: Rise of Apocalypse and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2.

The Multiple Man movie is just one of several spinoffs on the way branching off from the main X-Men narrative. Next year will see the release of New Mutants and Deadpool 2 ahead of X-Men: Dark Phoenix, and Gambit, X-Force and an X-23 spinoff are in development. Simon Kinberg also revealed earlier this year that there's interest in bringing Alpha Flight and Exiles to life on the big screen. Given Jamie Madrox's affiliation with X-Factor in the comics, it begs the question of if this Multiple Man movie will be used to introduce that team to the X-Men cinematic universe, whether it's in a supporting capacity or if they'll lead their own movie.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on James Franco's Multiple Man movie, and browse through our X-Men movies guide for more information on what this franchise has coming down the pipeline.

We will never be able to unsee the horror that was Anne Hathaway and James Franco co-hosting the 2011 Academy Awards. In an effort to lure in a younger television audience, Franco (127 Hours) and Hathaway (Les Miserables) were paired and put through an uncomfortable ringer, as the duo displayed the same chemistry as peanut butter and bleach... even though, on their own, each can be charming and effusive. Reflecting on the travesty, Franco now explains why he wishes he had avoided that mistake, saying:

It's true that a few reviews criticizing the bad chemistry between Anne Hathaway and James Franco as Oscar hosts stated that she was far too perky, and he seemed stoned. Franco had to be nervous. As far as I can remember, he had to be the first person who was hosting the live ceremony while also being nominated in a top category. Franco was nominated for his performance as a hiker with his arm trapped by a rock in Danny Boyle's 127 Hours.

But even if James Franco was only able to focus on being a co-host, and NOT on potentially winning his first Oscar, there's no denying that his interactions with Anne Hathaway were just clunky and off for the entire evening. Even though, in the Variety profile that touches on this interaction, Franco says that they had no idea that they were bombing, because they were getting laughs in the room.

Here is a particularly painful bit from the Oscars, as hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway:

All is well that ends well, of course. Anne Hathaway went on to win her first Oscar in 2013 for playing Fantine in Tom Hooper's Les Miserables. And James Franco is being interviewed because he's a legit Best Actor contender for playing Tommy Wiseau in The Disaster Artist, a movie about the making of The Room. Then again, The Disaster Artist could also be a title of a movie about the behind the scenes of the 2011 Oscar ceremony. Insert rimshot sound here.

The stoner-comedy has become an entire subgenre in its own right over the years, and few weed-themed films of the 21st century can compare to Pineapple Express. The buddy-pairing of Seth Rogen and James Franco was a match made in heaven, and the film produced countless bits that have become endlessly quotable. Arguably the most well-remembered moment in the entire movie comes when Franco's Saul Silver compares the odor of a bag of weed (which wasn't real, by the way) to "God's vagina." It's a hilarious one-liner, but it apparently was Rogen's idea on the set of the film. Rogen addressed the theft in a recent essay and wrote:

So while James Franco was the one who got to deliver the line, it was actually Seth Rogen who thought of it while they were sitting there on that dirty couch. Rogen quietly suggested the line, but didn't have the confidence to use it. Without asking permission, Franco decided to use it during the next take and got all of the credit.

Oddly enough Seth Rogen was able to use this "God's vagina" situation to better himself as an actor and a comedian by realizing that ideas he might not necessarily have the utmost faith in can still get great results. The actor continued his anecdote in his recent piece for IndieWire and wrote:

Deep, man. I'm going to try to remember that for my personal life. And, of course, if you need a refresher on that hilarious moment from Pineapple Express, make sure to check out a clip from that sequence below:

With all of that said, it's pretty clear that Seth Rogen doesn't harbor any ill will towards James Franco. Pineapple Express has become one of the most quotable comedies of the last decade, and the duo has worked together frequently in the years since its release. Make sure to catch their next collaboration when The Disaster Artist (which is already receiving insane praise) debuts in theaters on December 1.

James Franco's new movie The Disaster Artist is based on a notoriously so-bad-it's-popular movie The Room. While The Room never earned any critical accolades, The Disaster Artist looks as if it won't be following the same trajectory, as it's already earning awards. This weekend, the flick did really well at the 65th annual San Sebastian Film Festival, earning the festival's Golden Shell award.

The Golden Shell was introduced way back in 1957 at the San Sebastian Film Festival, and in the years since has been given to a lot of movies you've probably never heard of and some you probably have. Although it's no Academy Award in terms of prestige in the industry, it's still interesting to point out the win, as The Disaster Artist is the first time a United States movie has nabbed the award since 2007's A Thousand Years of Good Prayers. It also means The Disaster Artist is continuing to get more buzz after its premiere at South By Southwest earlier this past spring, where the flick reportedly earned a standing ovation.

The Disaster Artist stars James Franco as Tommy Wiseau, the notorious star of The Room, a movie which is still played in cult showings around the world. A 2013 memoir was written by the flick's other star Greg Sestero about the making of the 2003 cult film and that's what was used as the basis for The Disaster Artist, which was written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, and will star Franco, his brother Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Alison Brie, Ari Graynor, Josh Hutcherson and more.

Buzz for the movie after its festival showings has been good. The Disaster Artist is currently scoring a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and a solid but not quite as high 77% on Metacritic. More importantly, possibly, it's the type of movie the Academy tends to like. It's a movie about making a movie--even in this case if it's about making a gigantic disaster of a movie. It's still a love letter of sorts to Hollywood and it has some pretty heavy hitters involved. We'll see if The Disaster Artist still manages to have traction by the time awards season rolls around. But early praise is never a bad place to start.

The Disaster Artist will be released early starting on December 1, and is being given a wide release starting on December 8. If you'd like to see why Dave Franco got involved in a movie with his brother, we have you covered. If you're definitely not interested in the movie about the making of The Room, don't fret; there's plenty of bigger box office stuff still set to hit theaters before the end of the year. Check them out with our full schedule.

James Franco's The Disaster Artist made its debut on the fall film festival circuit a few weeks back, impressing critics and entertaining audiences with its deft recreation of Tommy Wiseau's The Room -- largely considered to be one of the worst movies ever made. But The Room, which plays Midnight repertories and encourages passionate reactions from its rabid fanbase, has a very distinct look... one that's very, very bad. Because Franco was meticulous in telling the story of how Tommy and his best friend, Greg Sestero, created The Room, he and his collaborators -- Seth Rogen and brother Dave Franco -- went to great lengths to match The Room at every step. Dave Franco recently opened up to CinemaBlend, explaining:

The Disaster Artist plays really well for people who are intimately familiar with the meme-worthy awfulness that is The Room. Even the first full trailer for James Franco's The Disaster Artist was basically just a recreation of Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) filming an infamous scene on a recreation of his rooftop. It's the "Oh, hai Mark" line that you all know so very well.

But because James and Dave Franco knew that there's a large chunk of the audience coming to The Disaster Room with knowledge of The Room, this meant that had to treat their recreations of The Room as seriously as possible, or it would take people out of their movie. There was speculation following screenings of The Disaster Artist that James Franco might have actually filmed an entire recreation of The Room, but now Dave confirms that they basically only recreated half of it, and some of those scenes we will see side by side with footage from Tommy Wiseau's film.

The Disaster Artist picked up incredible buzz at the Toronto International Film Festival. It is coming to theaters on December 1, from A24. Could it have Oscar aspirations? We will know soon enough.

Is it possible that a film about the worst movie ever made could end up being one of the year's best films? This is shaping up to be the case, as reviews are starting to drop for James Franco's The Disaster Artist, a loving tribute to Tommy Wiseau's The Room. Unfortunately, the movie screened in Toronto after we left, but the first wave of reviews are getting us very excited... and should do the same for potential audiences. The Room, released in 2003, has achieved cult status for being terrible. It's a deeply personal movie for writer/director/star Wiseau, but it's now mainly a meme generator, which lives on via Midnight screenings and festival plays. But Franco has teamed up with his brother, Dave, and his frequent collaborator Seth Rogen for a comedy about the making of The Room, and critics are raving.

The Disaster Artist is enjoying a 92% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. In their positive spin, The Hollywood Reporter writes:

Several reviews have made a point of saying, too, that you don't have to have seen The Room (because few have) to enjoy the humor in The Disaster Artist. Variety, in its review, say:

But The AV Club, reviewing off of the Toronto cut of the film (The Disaster Artist premiered at SXSW as a "Work in Progress"), was less than impressed, saying it's "just barely a movie."

But that seems to be the minority. Twitter flooded with raves such as this following its screening in Toronto:

And you will be able to find out for yourself soon enough. James Franco directs and stars in The Disaster Artist, a movie about The Room that you don't have to have seen The Room to enjoy. It opens in theaters on December 1 in limited, going wide -- and possibly building an Oscar campaign -- between then and the end of the year. Will you see it?

The Room is one of the most infamous films ever put on a screen. The Disaster Artist is the new movie that will tell the story of just how such an incredible piece of work actually came to be. But what does the man behind The Room think of it all? As it turns out, Tommy Wiseau who wrote, directed, produced, starred, and probably also catered, The Room, thinks the movie is almost as to true to life as it could be. According to Wiseau...

It seems there's actually a bit of confusion about exactly what Tommy Wiseau didn't like about The Disaster Artist. Previously, he had made comments that his only complaint had something to do with the lighting early in the film being wrong. Now, sitting down with the LA Times, he says his issue had something to do with the way somebody, possibly James Franco, it's not clear, threw a football. Beyond that, it seems that Wiseau is totally on board with the new movie.

To be fair, the throwing of footballs is a major part of The Room, so if somebody got that wrong, it has the potential to be significant. Seriously, characters are throwing a football back and forth to each other all the time in the film. There's no rhyme or reason to any of it. Indoors, outdoors, in street clothes or tuxedos, there is always a football within arms reach. It's one of the many things within The Room that makes no sense.

For his part, James Franco calls "bullshit" on this most recent claim that his throwing of footballs is bad. Check out the full exchange in the video below. Also, listen to Franco talk to Tommy Wiseau, it's unbelievable.

This exchange is sort of amazing because the entire time James Franco talks to Tommy Wiseau he talks like Wiseau. It's not clear if Franco even realizes he's doing it. He might be falling into it the way some people pick up accents, or he might be poking a bit of fun at the man who he plays in The Disaster Artist. Either way, it's a bizarre thing to see.

We're looking forward to The Disaster Artist if only because we can't imagine quite what we're in for. The movie hits theaters this December

James and Dave Franco hang in extremely similar circles, and you'd think that with both of them having some of the same friends and co-stars in Hollywood, the two brothers would have worked together by now. Despite the fact that they were roommates once and see each other pretty frequently in Hollywood, believe it or not, The Disaster Artist is the first film that sees both Francos working as co-stars. The reason behind the long wait is reasonable though, according to what Dave Franco said in a recent Toronto International Film Festival interview:

With his TV and film career starting up only a couple years after James Franco made it big with the Spider-Man movies, it's no surprise that Dave was not only afraid of living up to his brother's reputation, but also he didn't want to get any special treatment because of the familial relationship. As any of the Hollywood families will tell you, nepotism is something that can kill a career as fast as it can foster its growth. While the Franco name isn't steeped in that sort of practice, unlike some of the other families operating in the neighborhood, they most certainly know enough to avoid even the slightest suggestion to the contrary in a heartbeat.

Of course, just because Dave Franco made his start with a fresh deck doesn't mean he didn't have any help from his brother, particularly in his living arrangement. As James also mentioned in the interview with EW at TIFF, Dave did live in his apartment for a period of time when making his start. Which is one of those things a big brother is essentially there for, or so parents would have you believe while growing up. These days, both Francos are popular in their own right, and they are more than ready to take their combined act to the world with The Disaster Artist. The only question remaining now is, will the world be ready for the Franco brothers working together?

The story of The Disaster Artist is a tale that both brothers may have shared an interest in, thanks to the infamy of The Room through its various audiences around the world. It's hard to avoid talking about Tommy Wiseau's certified midnight movie even if you aren't an avid fan, as it's the stuff that internet memes are made of. Whatever the love the two brothers may or may not have for the original cult movie, when Greg Sestero wrote his big memoir about his friendship with Wiseau and the various phases of The Room's production, The Disaster Artist clicked with both Francos, allowing them to combine their powers in the name of cinema!

We'll soon find out if the end product is any good, as The Disaster Artist hits theaters on December 1st. To take a look at what else is hitting theaters in 2017, check out our full release schedule.

Where do you begin when talking about The Room? Do you start with the consistently inconsistent story? Maybe the awkward nature of Tommy Wiseau himself? Well, in the case of one of its stars, Greg Sestero, he started at the beginning and told the story of the film's creation, as well as the start of his friendship with Wiseau, in his memoir The Disaster Artist. As you'll see in the trailer below, it's a story that was born for the silver screen.

Throughout the story told in The Disaster Artist, we're going to see James Franco's Tommy Wiseau and Dave Franco's Greg Sestero build a budding partnership as acting students, and eventually turn into uneasy friends with a healthy amount of jealousy thrown into the mix. But while the film does maintain a dramatic edge to it, there's still a healthy amount of dark humor injected into Sestero's memoir, and should subsequently be a part of the film, which is also directed by its star James Franco. If that's not going method, then we don't know what is.

The trailer for The Disaster Artist comes hot off of the film's midnight premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last night, and it looks every bit as crazy as you'd expect. At the same time, the advanced buzz that has the film pegged as an awards contender for this year is looking like the real deal after people have actually screened the movie. Anyone who's read the book will tell you that the story of Tommy Wiseau himself would make an interesting biopic, especially the way his story is told by, and intertwines with, Greg Sestero's own fledgling career as an actor. Looking at the cast for The Disaster Artist, we also see a stacked deck.

We knew that Seth Rogen, Paul Sheer, and Ari Graynor were all along for the ride, but now the trailer has brought to light the fact that Jane Fonda, Sharon Stone, and even Judd Apatow are all going to have featured parts. Not to mention, somewhere in this very same film is Bryan Cranston and Kate Upton, so the spectrum truly runs the gamut. You can check out the two leads in the poster, below.

Just by the glimpses we've gotten here, especially on Apatow's part, it looks like all involved are really pushing their talents to the limit to bring such a funny, yet odd story to full dramatic life. Who would have thought that back when The Room was first released as a $1,800 grossing flop in 2003, it would lead not only to such a midnight movie renaissance, but also a biopic on the same level as The Disaster Artist?

It's a trailer that newbies and devotees to the phenomenon that is The Room can enjoy, and if that's any sign at all, The Disaster Artist is only going to draw more interested parties to the oddity of a film that it focuses on. December 1st is the day that we'll all get to see whether or not The Disaster Artist is a winner, and we're all the more excited to find out ourselves. You could say, the anticipation is tearing us apart.

If it's weird and it's memorable, chances are it'll become a Halloween costume. Just ask James Franco, whose character of Alien, the drug dealing mentor to the titular Spring Breakers, and allegedly a memorable costume for those that ran around on Halloween 2013. But one specific person went all the way when it came to their portrayal of this infamous character: Margot Robbie. As it turns out, Franco was approached by the Suicide Squad actor to help her get her costume just right, and he goes into detail about the information she requested below:

Celebrities and their Halloween costumes have always been a subject of interest, and there's been quite a bit of impressive transformations that actors have made in the name of that fun seasonal celebration. But Margot Robbie's dedication to getting her Alien cosplay down to the tattoos is pretty damned impressive. She could have just went with an accurate costume, and any other accessories she could have found, and left it at that. But to get detailed print outs of the tattoos that James Franco wore as part of his Spring Breakers character? That's going the proper full nine yards, and Franco couldn't help but attest to that fact as he spoke with GQ, during an oral history of the film's studio, A24. If you want to see Margot Robbie in costume, as well as a comparison to Franco's screen worn counterpart, you can take a look for yourself below.

It's this sort of dedication that also makes us think that Robbie herself had no problem bearing the numerous hours of make-up and costuming that she endured for her performance as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad. While it certainly wasn't an easy feat, her dedication to her performance undoubtedly shone through everything she adorned to play the world's new favorite psychopath. It almost makes us wish that James Franco was cast as The Joker in the new DC Extended Universe, just so the two consummate professionals could swap make-up tips, as well as psychotic barbs.

Here's hoping that James Franco and Margot Robbie get to work on a make-up intensive project in the future. But for now, Robbie currently has Terminal and Goodbye Christopher Robin slated for release this year, while Franco can next be seen in Alien: Covenant, which will be in theaters on May 19.

One of the most killer comedy teams in showbiz today has to be Seth Rogen and James Franco, who have worked together on a variety of projects going all the way back to Freaks and Geeks in 1999. Now, the duo is teaming up yet again for a brand new project that will take them back to their high school TV show roots. Rogen and Franco are developing a teen drama set in the 1990s for none other than Hulu.

The script for the prospective series is being written by author and online personality Kelly Oxford, who made a name for herself on the social media circuit, with her Twitter account making Time's list for the 140 best Twitter feeds twice. James Franco and Seth Rogen are attached as executive producers. Variety reports that Rogen's frequent collaborator Evan Goldberg is on board in an executive producer role as well.

Few details are currently available about the plot of the series, should it move forward. It doesn't even seem to have a name just yet. Interestingly, the project is described as a drama, not a comedy or even dramedy. James Franco and Seth Rogen have worked together on many occasions, but almost exclusively on comedies. We'll have to wait and see if the Hulu show takes a comedic slant as it moves further into development or if it will truly be a departure for Franco and Rogen as a duo.

We can only cross our fingers that this high school show is on par with Seth Rogen and James Franco's first high school show. The two appeared as actors on Freaks and Geeks, which tragically lasted only a single season. The show was a hit with critics and has become something of a cult classic in the years since its cancellation, and it deserves credit for launching the careers of several comedic stars, including both Rogen and Franco. There will be inevitable differences, as Freaks and Geeks was set in the early 1980s rather than the 1990s, and there will presumably be fewer laugh-out-loud moments in the new project, but I'm betting it will still be worth watching.

Seth Rogen and James Franco are currently only slated to work on the Hulu show behind the scenes, so we may never seen them acting on the show. We'll have to wait and see what happens. Hopefully the combination of their experiences with crafting hits and Kelly Oxford's unique writing style will be enough to create a hit for Hulu.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in new series news. Be sure to take a gander at our midseason TV premiere schedule and our summer TV premiere schedule to discover all your small screen viewing options now and in the coming months. If you're more in the mood for streaming, we have a handy 2017 Netflix premiere guide with all the dates you could possibly need. Netflix is unfortunately losing some great series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly soon, but there's still plenty worth watching.