James Franco to make Broadway debut in ‘Of Mice and Men’ revival
The multifaceted James Franco will soon add another credit to his résumé: The actor-director-artist-poet is heading to the Great White Way.
“We’re going to do ‘Of Mice and Men’ on Broadway. I’m going to play George,†the star of “Oz the Great and Powerful†revealed on “The Colbert Report.â€
This would be Franco’s Broadway debut, though not for want of trying. The one-time Oscar host was slated to star opposite Nicole Kidman in a 2011 revival of “Sweet Bird of Youth,†although the production never materialized.
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Franco, 34, offered no more details on the production or who would play fellow migrant worker Lennie. (“Ragtime†producer Tom Kirdahy has been developing the Great Depression drama for the past four years; this could be the production.)
Adapted from John Steinbeck’s novel of the same name, “Of Mice and Men†first appeared on Broadway in 1937 starring Wallace Ford as George and Broderick Crawford as Lennie. In the 1974 revival Kevin Conway and James Earl Jones reprised the respective roles.
In “Oz,†which opens Friday, Franco stars as the Emerald City wizard alongside Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis, who all play witches of varying good and evil.
Franco earned an Oscar nomination for the 2010 film “127 Hours.†His other on-screen credits include “Spider-Man,†“Pineapple Express,†“Howl†and “Milk.â€
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