Coming off the critically acclaimed The Disaster Artist, which details the making of Tommy Wiseau’s infamous The Room, James Franco has found his next directorial project, signing on to helm and star in A Boy Named Shel.
Based on Lisa Rogak’s biography, the film will see Franco taking on the role of American writer, singer-songwriter, cartoonist and children’s author Shel Silverstein. The Amazon description for the book reads:
In A Boy Named Shel, Lisa Rogak tells the full story of a life as antic and adventurous as any of his creations. A man with an incurable case of wanderlust, Shel kept homes on both coasts and many places in between—and enjoyed regular stays in the Playboy Mansion. Everywhere he went he charmed neighbors, made countless friends, and romanced almost as many women with his unstoppable energy and never-ending wit.
His boundless creativity brought him fame and fortune—neither of which changed his down-to-earth way of life—and his children’s books sold millions of copies. But he was much more than “just” a children’s writer. He collaborated with anyone who crossed his path, and found success in a wider range of genres than most artists could ever hope to master. He penned hit songs like “A Boy Named Sue” and “The Unicorn.” He drew cartoons for Stars & Stripes and got his big break with Playboy. He wrote experimental plays and collaborated on scripts with David Mamet. With a seemingly unending stream of fresh ideas, he worked compulsively and enthusiastically on a wide array of projects up until his death, in 1999.
SEE ALSO: Read our reviews of The Disaster Artist here and here
As yet, there’s no word as to where and when this project might fall into Franco’s upcoming slate, which includes his directorial efforts Zeroville and The Long Home, the Coen brothers’ TV miniseries The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, and the recently announced X-Men spinoff Multiple Man.
Originally published December 5, 2017. Updated April 19, 2018.
