James Franco’sThe Disaster Artisthas been a point of interest for some time, but things just officially exciting. Franco has proven himself something of a prolific filmmaker in recent years (IMDB has 7 of his films listed for a planned 2017 release), and many of those projects fly under the radar, withThe Disaster Artist, Franco is putting his spin on one of the most iconic cult classics of modern cinema,Tommy Wiseau’sThe Room. And people are taking notice.
The film recently screened as a work-in-progress print at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival, where it received strong word-of-mouth and critical praise after earning a standing ovation from the crowd. Now, A24 and New Line Cinema have announced that they will partner for the release of the acclaimed comedy, and they’re showing a lot of confidence by dropping right in the thick of awards season. A24 will distribute
A24 will distributeThe Disaster Artistdomestically, scheduling the film to open December 8 nationwide with limited engagements beginning on December 1. The only other film scheduled to open that weekend isGuillermo Del Toro’sThe Shape of Water, and withStar Wars: The Last Jediopening the following weekend, the two films may duke it out for a similar audience in their one-weekStar Wars-free window. Warner Bros. Pictures will oversee international distribution. Those release dates are still TBA.
Franco directsThe Disaster Artistfrom a screenplay by500 Days of SummerandThe Spectacular Nowscreenwriting duoScott Neustadter&Michael H. Weber(who are also scripting Josh Boone’sNew Mutantsmovie), based on the book byGreg SesteroandTom Bissell. The film also starsDave Franco,Seth Rogen,Alison Brie,Zac Efron,Josh Hutcherson,Jacki Weaver,Ari Graynor, andJason Mantzoukas. Franco and Rogen also produce alongsideVince Jolivette,James Weaver, andEvan Goldberg.
Per the press release, here’s the synopsis:
“The Disaster Artist” is the true story of the making of the film “The Room,” which has been called “the Citizen Kane of bad movies.” Tommy Wiseau’s cult classic has been screening to sold-out audiences nationwide for more than a decade.
