Making sure his attempts to go De Niro method on your ass are not looked over, James Franco is pushing for a film adaptation of Faulkner's The Sound and The Fury to be made, and for Mad Men lead man John Hamm to be cast alongside himself.Any form of a movie version will be no easy accomplishment, as the American writer's work is awash with narrative devices that will be hard to translate to screen. The stream of consciousness novel will be the second Faulkner novel Franco has worked on, with As I Lay Dying premiering at Cannes just earlier this summer.
In other news, George Clooney and Sandra Bullock's Gravity is due to open the 70th Venice Film Festival this August. From the maker of Children of Men, Gravity depicts the story of two astronauts stranded in space with only each other and limited oxygen.
Not to be left out of the ever moving industry, Woody Allen is steadily progressing on his latest, and so far unnamed, project. According to Empire, the film will be a comedy shot in the South of France, keeping his love affair with all things European in tact. The latest to join the film are Marcia Gay Harden and Jacki Weave, with a veritable who's who of Hollywood already signed up, such as Colin Firth and Emma Stone.
Lastly, the pitbull of all producers, Harvey Weinstein, has been ordered to back down by the court in his battle against Warner Bros. to use the title The Butler for his upcoming feature. Despite the rights claim Warner Bros had over the name or its 1917 silent comedy short, Weinstein contested the claim furiously. The Weinstein Company is still fighting the judgement, with news according to Deadline that the company has hired a top lawyer to appeal the case. Said Weinstein movie is based on the true story of one butler who served in the white house for over eight presidencies. Forest Whitaker will play the lead, with Jane Fonda, Oprah Winfrey, Robin Williams and Alan Rickman co-starring. Such a strong cast and enthralling plot, why focus on such an average name Weinstein?
