Entertainment

James Franco's Latest is A Bloody Nightmare

by Alicia Lutes

James Franco is up to his James Franconian ways again, you guys, and I think I've got a serious case of Franco Fatigue. This time, it's thanks to a new trailer for Child of God , his directorial and screenwriting adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's third-ever novel of the same name. And though we hate to follow up on our Franco ire with more of the same, the trailer has us feeling a bit, well, exhausted — and not in an 'emotionally engaged to the point of exhaustion' sort of way. It's more of an 'OK, yeah that's fine, I guess, but do we have to?' situation. It's time to pump the ever-loving brakes, my friend.

Following the curious and murderous life of Lester Ballard (played by Scott Baze), Child of God depicts the troubled times he encounters after a life of upheaval and emotional removal from society after he is deprived of parents or a home of any kind. Without a system of family and emotional stability to support him, Ballard descends into a proverbial and literal cave dweller, forcing him into a life of crime and seriously messed-up doings. It features a supporting cast of Tim Blake Nelson and — get ready for this shocking twist — James Franco.

And while all of those names — Tim Blake Nelson, James Franco, Cormac McCarthy — would usually spell for film festival and indie gold, it seems as though the film has yet to receive any sort of distribution months after it premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Which is probably why Franco has decided to release the trailer, hoping to drum up interest and then subsequently a sale (it is Sundance Season, after all). But after seeing the trailer we hate to admit it, but: we don't really care whether this one sees the light of the projector or not.