While Bryan Cranston and James Franco can currently be seen starring alongside one another in Why Him?, a John Hamburg-directed comedy that has been largely panned by critics, the film is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to collaborations between the two actors.
It’s been known for quite some time that Cranston, along with what seems like half of Hollywood, will pop up in James Franco’s The Masterpiece, which tells the story of the making of the so-called “worst movie ever made,” The Room, but a recent interview with Franco conducted by the South China Morning Post gives a proper explanation of Cranston’s specific role in the film.
On the Breaking Bad actor’s role, Franco said, “It took eight months for the film to go ahead and I asked Bryan to play Sheriff in In Dubious Battle, and then I directed The Masterpiece and he did that too. I asked if he would play himself, and he actually plays a version of himself from the early 2000s, so it’s Bryan Cranston from Malcolm in the Middle. It just speaks to his love of cinema that he supports his fellow artists.”
Seeing a, mostly likely, heightened version of early 2000s Cranston is going to be a real treat. Presumably, since there are so many actors set to appear in the film as is, his role won’t be very big, but regardless, some Cranston is much better than no Cranston.
The Masterpiece will probably be released next year, but it has yet to nail down an official release date, which may be due to the fact that 2017 is shaping up to be another busy year for the film’s director, Franco. (Seriously, check out his IMDb page and be amazed by the amount of projects the multi-talented man is tackling.)
The Masterpiece stars James Franco as The Room writer-director and star Tommy Wiseau, with Dave Franco portraying actor Greg Sestero, who also penned the book on which the movie is based. Joining them in the cast are Seth Rogen, Josh Hutcherson, Ari Graynor, Jacki Weaver, Hannibal Buress, Kate Upton, Zac Efron, Alison Brie, Sharon Stone, Bryan Cranson, Andrew Santino, Shawn Kavanaugh, Nathan Fielder, Paul Sheer and Judd Apatow, while Wiseau also cameos.
Originally published December 30, 2016. Updated April 16, 2018.
