First Look at James Franco's 'The Sound and the Fury' with Seth Rogen and Danny McBride

James Franco has taken upon himself the monumental task of adapting novels that have stymied more experienced filmmakers. And so in the last couple of years we've seen him tackling the works of Cormac McCarthy (Child of God) and William Faulkner (As I Lay Dying), and while the results weren't that great one has to admire Franco's ambition. Now he's taking on another challenge trying to bring the complicated, stream-of-consciousness narrative of Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury to the big screen, with the first images arriving before its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

Franco will again write, star, and direct the film and he's brought along a few familiar faces to join him. Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, Ahna O'Reilly, Joey King, Scott Haze, Loretta Devine, and Tim Blake Nelson star in the period drama centering on the aristocratic Compson family. Here's the official synopsis:

Directed by and starring Academy Award nominee James Franco, The Sound and The Fury captures the lives and passions of the Compsons, a once proud Southern family caught in a tragic spiral of loss and misfortune. Based on the novel by Noble Prize winner author William Faulkner and considered among the 20th century’s greatest works, The Sound and the Fury encapsulates the universal theme of the death of honor, social injustice and forbidden love.

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James Franco to Direct 'The Sound and the Fury'; Jon Hamm, Danny McBride, and Dave Franco May Star

Never let it be said that James Franco has taken the easy road during his directorial career. He's consistently challenged himself with one ballsy project after another, including a number of adaptations many said couldn't be done. He's completed a big screen version of Cormac McCarthy's Child of God, and his adaptation of William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying hit festivals to mixed response earlier this year. Last week he dropped out of directing Andres Dubos III's The Garden of Last Days, but Franco didn't wait long to find another extremely tough project to take its place.

Franco is planning to adapt another Faukner novel, The Sound and the Fury, the famous stream of consciousness tale centering on the downfall of the aristocratic Compson family over the course of decades. The book employs a number of different styles and narrative voices, not unlike As I Lay Dying, and it'll be interesting to see how Franco and co-writer Matt Rager decide to approach it. While many consider it unfilmable, a Yul Brynner-led version was released in 1959, so it's not impossible.

According to the LA Times, Franco plans an unspecified role for himself, but he really wants Mad Men star Jon Hamm for the role of patriarch Jason Compson III. He also wants his brother Dave Franco to play Quentin Compson, and there's a role for Danny McBride, as well. Assuming everything comes together, Franco is aiming for a fall shoot, which should give him time to star in Wim Wenders' next film, Everything Will Be Fine.

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James Franco adds Logan Marshall-Green, Danny McBride, and Ahna O'Reilly to 'As I Lay Dying'

Could James Franco's adaptation of William Faulkner's classic novel, As I Lay Dying, finally be the film that establishes him as a director worthy of attention? We've seen what he can do as a writer and director a handful of times already in tiny indie features and short films, all of which veer wildly from his mainstream persona. I mean...a biopic on the life of poet, Hart Crane? While The Broken Tower wasn't bad, nobody was going to rush out and see it.

As production on As I Lay Dying is set to begin in October, Franco is pulling together the cast, and he's rounded up some familiar faces. Danny McBride, who starred with Franco in Pineapple Express has joined the cast in an unspecified role. Tim Blake Nelson and Jim Parrack, both of whom worked with Franco on the Cormac McCarthy adaptation, Child of God, are also on board.  Also along for the ride are Franco's ex, Ahna O'Reilly, and Logan Marshall-Green, fresh off his breakout performance in Prometheus. Published in 1930, the darkly comic story follows the Bundren family as they attempt to fulfill the final wish of their matriarch to be buried in her native Jefferson, Mississippi.

I'm not sure Franco has any interest in making a movie that'll play in multiplexes, and it's unlikely As I Lay Dying would, either. It does show his continued willingness to stretch himself and take on projects many would find too daunting. [Showbiz411]

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