Support NeoGAF

[Bobby Roberts]

For awhile now, Mr. Franco has been tilting at this windmill: An adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's magnum opus, the biblical meditation on American violence, Blood Meridian.

And now it appears he's actually going to direct the adaptation.

How’s this for a powerhouse combination: Russell Crowe is in talks to star in a James Franco-directed adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian with Tye Sheridan and Vincent D’Onofrio also boarding the cast. Franco will also act in the film, which is being produced by Scott Rudin, Cassian Elwes and Franco’s partner at Rabbit Bandini, Vince Jolivette. IM Global is handling international sales at Cannes. CAA is repping domestic rights.

if you've ever read the book, (here's a NeoGAF book club on it) you know how hard an adaptation is going to be. There are images in that thing that are just... goddamn.

And yet, Franco's going to try. He's tried once before already. Here's the VICE article (written by Franco) containing his test run, starring Scott Glenn, Dave Franco, and Mark Pellegrino.

UPDATE: THIS THING IS NOW DEAD

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the project sprang to life, and then immediately died all in the same day, due to the fact Franco doesn't have the fucking rights.

Gotta love that THR was calling it "Russell Crowe's Blood Meridian" in the headline, too.

Anyway, this just cements my belief that Franco is the perfect person to be making the Wiseau movie.

 

[xxracerxx]

Yeaaahhh...I really don't need to see this on film. The book is a masterpiece, let it live as that.

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

D'Onofrio sitting by the phone right now.

Edit: Holy shit I swear I skipped over that in the OP hahahahaha

 

[HStallion]

Good fucking luck to him. I think this is the only other book that got me to stop and put it down in several places because of the horrorific content besides 2666.

 

[obin_gam]

To make it work you're gonna have to do it like Pulp Fiction I imagine.

... which begs the question why not hire Tarantino for it?

 

[NoblesseOblige]

One of my favorite books. I will see it on film. Do you think it'll have

Spoiler

the baby tree

?

 

[Arthr2ShdsJcksn]

This is going to be shit.

See 'As I Lay Dying' for Franco's ability to translate novels into films.

 

[Squalor]

In general, I'm a James Franco fan, but this is going to be a mess.

His adaptation of As I Lay Dying was awful. Sure, that is an even more difficult book to adapt to film than Blood Meridian will be, but dammit, Franco, stop.

 

[VenomousCoffee]

I simultaneously don't want this and want it a bunch.

 

[Screaming Meat]

Holy shit.

There's no way they can do this justice, surely?

D'Onofrio as Judge Holden though... that's pretty spot on.

 

[kavanf1]

I want this, but I want Joel and Ethan Coen to do it.

 

[DeathoftheEndless]

I couldn't get into that book. A lot of it was just descriptions of the scenery.

Franco also adapted As I Lay Dying, which a lot of people said was unfilmable. I heard it wasn't very good.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

D'Onofrio as Judge Holden though... that's pretty spot on.

Would he be the Judge though? Or would that be Crowe? Tye Sheridan is The Kid, obviously.

 

[andythinkpad]

I am more interested in his hooker live twit movie.

 

[VenomousCoffee]

Holy shit.

There's no way they can do this justice, surely?

D'Onofrio as Judge Holden though... that's pretty spot on.

Russell Crowe as Glanton does too.

 

[Draft]

Franco has been involved in some garbage but his creativity is suitably weird for an adaption of Blood Meridian. An Evening Redness in the West cannot be a conventional movie. Giving it to a lunatic like Franco is an OK idea.

Vincent D’Onofrio as the Judge is pretty good. John Goodman would be better.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

D'Onofrio as Judge Holden though... that's pretty spot on.

It is, but it also feels like a typecast for his role in Daredevil. One large bald headed villain who is super charismatic and intelligent to another.

 

[Jeffolation]

How did Child of God turn out?

 

[Squalor]

I couldn't get into that book. A lot of it was just descriptions of the scenery.

Franco also adapted As I Lay Dying, which a lot of people said was unfilmable. I heard it wasn't very good.

It seems you missed a lot of Blood Meridian, then.

And, yes, As I Lay Dying qua As I Lay Dying is unfilmable. He had to neuter it, which meant it wasn't really the novel it was based upon. He also completely messed up the characters.

How did Child of God turn out?

Horribly.

Unlike Blood Meridian, though, Child of God could be a good movie in the proper hands.

 

[Tugatrix]

I good with it, the guy showed some chops on the ep he directed for 11.22.63

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

Franco is not a good filmmaker. He keeps shitting movies out though.

 

[Apt101]

My favorite fiction novel, currently anyways. I do not see Franco doing it justice. Oh lord this is going to end up badly.

D'Onofrio as Judge Holden does sound good though.

 

[SolidChamp]

I've heard some...things...about this book, but, it was never put into context for me.

I just know it's pretty fucked up.

I'll take some detailed context in spoiler tags, though.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

I'll take some detailed context in spoiler tags, though.

I linked an entire GAF discussion thread on the book in the OP.

(There's also links within that thread that go to other discussion threads)

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

Would he be the Judge though? Or would that be Crowe? Tye Sheridan is The Kid, obviously.

I'm sure he's the Judge.

And yeah, there's a 1990s Coens/Goodman version in a parallel universe.

 

[Talladega Knight]

On a side note, James Franco is filming something called "Future World" in my area and I can't seem to find a single thing online about it other than some posts on Facebook from others in our community. Apparently it "takes place after the end of civilization and only survivors are left."

Anyone know anything about this project?

 

[DeathoftheEndless]

It seems you missed a lot of Blood Meridian, then..

Yeah, I'd have to read it again. That was years ago.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

Hope they cast the bear from Revenant in a guest starring role as the Dancing Bear.

 

[Haxan]

Did anyone see his adaptation of The Sound and the Fury? Wiki says it was made available on VOD late last year, but I can't find it. He apparently plays Benjy, and I'm intrigued to see how badly he fucks it up.

 

[Apt101]

On a side note, James Franco is filming something called "Future World" in my area and I can't seem to find a single thing online about it other than some posts on Facebook from others in our community. Apparently it "takes place after the end of civilization and only survivors are left."

Anyone know anything about this project?

Is it related to The Dark Tower? Sounds like it. Only project that is in production of some kind that springs to mind.

 

[Username1198]

Would he be the Judge though? Or would that be Crowe? Tye Sheridan is The Kid, obviously.

Donofrio as The Judge for sure.

Sam Jackson as John Jackson? Lol

Also I'm in the middle of reading this book now. It's my first experience with Maccarthy.

Phenomenal so far. How are his other books? Not sure what of his to read next.

 

[Jebusman]

Today I learned who Vincent D’Onofrio was. Which is shocking because I've seen Full Metal Jacket like 20 times and never made the connection.

So yeah he would be pretty good for that role. But why James Franco? What is driving his passion for doing this?

 

[Squalor]

Did anyone see his adaptation of The Sound and the Fury? Wiki says it was made available on VOD late last year, but I can't find it. He apparently plays Benjy, and I'm intrigued to see how badly he fucks it up.

It's. Fucking. Awful.

 

[BigAT]

I've heard some...things...about this book, but, it was never put into context for me.

I just know it's pretty fucked up.

I'll take some detailed context in spoiler tags, though.

It's probably the most violent work of fiction I've ever consumed, that includes books, movies, and television. That said, it's an amazing book.

Spoiler

Fair amount of the violence is without purpose or unnecessary. Detailed descriptions of scalping, mutilation, etc. Killing of children and even babies.

Have to agree with everyone else that I always thought this would be difficult if not impossible to translate to film. James Franco certainly isn't the person I want to see take a swing at it.

 

[Screaming Meat]

It is, but it also feels like a typecast for his role in Daredevil. One large bald headed villain who is super charismatic and intelligent to another.

I dunno. Judge is a whole different ballpark. Much less Man-Baby, more Gnostic Archon nightmare.

Russell Crowe as Glanton does too.

Yeah, it is.

Would he be the Judge though? Or would that be Crowe? Tye Sheridan is The Kid, obviously.

I don't think they're that imaginative.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

Did anyone see his adaptation of The Sound and the Fury? Wiki says it was made available on VOD late last year, but I can't find it. He apparently plays Benjy, and I'm intrigued to see how badly he fucks it up.

It looked really embarrassing.

 

[Lomax]

All the Netflix talk just makes me think it would be much better as a 10 episode HBO or Netflix TV series. But then these days I think that's true of basically any book.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

I dunno. Judge is a whole different ballpark. Much less Man-Baby, more Gnostic Archon nightmare.

Actually, you're right. I guess I'm thinking more of other iterations of Fisk. The one D'Onofrio played seemed more delayed in some ways and not the entirely charismatic as I would expect. And he seemed to actually believe his methods and had legitimate care for another. The Judge on the other hand is a full-blown psychopath.

 

[disappeared]

Reading it right now. Really enjoying it but I'm having a hard time imagining it being a ~90 minute film. Not to mention the content.

Franco seems to have a hard-on for McCarthy's work, can't blame him, but does all his work need film adaptations? No Country worked because the Coens are masters of their craft. Franco has has a lot to learn yet before tackling such grand work.

 

[Haxan]

It's. Fucking. Awful.

I really want to hate watch it. It's pretty much my favorite book. I'm hoping for a really shameful Benjy performance.

 

[Apt101]

It's probably the most violent work of fiction I've ever consumed, that includes books, movies, and television. That said, it's an amazing book.

Spoiler

Fair amount of the violence is without purpose or unnecessary. Detailed descriptions of scalping, mutilation, etc. Killing of children and even babies.

Have to agree with everyone else that I always thought this would be difficult if not impossible to translate to film. James Franco certainly isn't the person I want to see take a swing at it.

Spoiler

McCarthy was merely pointing out that our push westward was a brutal, bloody affair and those kinds of things happened. The brutality served the story.

Also, do we need to spoiler tag notes about a book from 1985?

 

[DataStream]

This is my favorite book of all time and I'd love to see a movie; primarily because it is in my mind basically unfilmable as a standard narrative.

I feel like Cronenberg, Mallick, or Iñárritu might be able to pull it off.

I will have to watch Franco's test.

 

[Orbis Tabula]

I really liked the book. I'd love to see a good movie made from it.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

Also, do we need to spoiler tag notes about a book from 1985?

I'm no fan of spoiler tags but I presume they're apt when discussing a movie rendition of a book most people probably haven't read.

 

[Screaming Meat]

I feel like Cronenberg, Mallick, or Iñárritu might be able to pull it off.

Jodorowsky!

 

[BigAT]

Spoiler

McCarthy was merely pointing out that our push westward was a brutal, bloody affair and those kinds of things happened. The brutality served the story.

Also, do we need to spoiler tag notes about a book from 1985?

I was being really reductive about it to explain to someone that hasn't read it. I fully understand the purpose of violence in the book, I just meant that there isn't a distinct, obvious narrative reason for the majority of the individual acts of violence like you would see in most traditional narratives and in virtually all Hollywood movies.

 

[Apt101]

I was being really reductive about it to explain to someone that hasn't read it. I fully understand the purpose of violence in the book, I just meant that there isn't a distinct, obvious narrative reason for the majority of the individual acts of violence like you would see in most traditional narratives and in virtually all Hollywood movies.

Ah yea, that's McCarthy for you. Lots of suggestive imagery.

 

[DataStream]

Jodorowsky!

Indeed, I'd even say Lynch but I doubt they are up for projects of this size at this point in their career.

 

[Anung]

John Hillcoat feels like the only guy I could imagine directing this. It always felt like The Proposition was an audition to try and adapt Blood Meridian.

 

[univariate]

Still trying to forget 11.22.63
Franco is such a mediocre actor, but maybe his directing is better.