First trailer for James Franco's 'As I Lay Dying'

Those who still look at James Franco as the guy who played Harry Osborn in a trio of Spider-Man flicks, or the other stoner in Pineapple Express, obviously haven't been paying attention. Over the last couple of years Franco has established himself as a filmmaker unafraid to tackle other projects most directors wouldn't dare. From the Hart Crane film The Broken Tower, to Interior.Leather.Bar which is inspired by the controversial 1980 film Cruising, to a wildly ambitious adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Child of God, Franco may not be the most refined director but he's always interesting. And to prove the point, Cannes sees his challenging adaptation of William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying worthy of being counted amongst their line-up.

After releasing a number of images over the last week, the first trailer for the film is here and it answers the question right away as to how he planned to approach Faulkner's material. The novel includes fifteen different narrators, telling the story of how a Mississippi family made the difficult journey to fulfill their mother's wish to be buried elsewhere. It appears Franco has decided to employ voice-over extensively through all of the characters, which could prove tiresome over time. But the cinematography is certainly gorgeous, grimy yet oddly surreal reminiscient of last year's Lawless.

Co-starring Jim Parrack, Ahna O'Reilly, Danny McBride, Logan Marshall-Green, and Tim Blake Nelson, As I Lay Dying will premiere later this month at Cannes.