As I Lay Dying

I was perusing the fashion photos from Cannes when I came upon a photo of James Franco at the premier of As I Lay Dying.  It can't be, I said, but sure enough Franco has taken on Faulkner's classic novel, which I think is virtually unfilmable, and has apparently succeeded to some degree to read reviews.  It is hard to reconcile a guy who just played the leader of a group of bikini-clad thieves, who called himself  "Alien," now serving up one of Faulkner's most difficult novels to an unsuspecting public.  But, stranger things have happened, I guess.

So, who is this James Franco, and where does he get the audacity to try to pull off a stunt like this?  Looking at his IMDb profile, there is nothing to suggest he is ready for a project like this.  He not only stars but wrote the adapted screenplay and directs the film.  Seems that Franco is one of those guys who will take on any project, with his private projects lurking in the back of his mind waiting to be brought forward one day.  So, here he is with potentially a breakthrough film that can move him beyond playing Spider Man villains and Spring Break pimps.  Remains to be seen ; )