The 'Milk' actor is in negotiations to star as Mystery, who is the master of women-seducing art, in the film adaptation of Neil Strauss' best-selling book about picking up ladies.
- Jan 7, 2012
AceShowbiz - James Franco could be a pick-up artists' guru in his next movie. The actor playing Will Rodman in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is currently in talks to star in "The Game", a big-screen adaptation of Neil Strauss' best-selling memoir about picking up women.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the "127 Hours" star has been eyed to star as Mystery, a man "who serves as Strauss' teacher in the book" and later appeared in a VH1 reality series called "The Pick-Up Artist".
"The Game" follows a community of pick-up artists, a.k.a AFCs or "Average Frustrated Chumps", who try to bed HBs (hot babes). The guru of the group is Mystery, who dispenses advice on the art of seduction using the mantra "FMAC: find, meet, attract, close."
Being developed at MGM, the movie was originally set up at Columbia Pictures with Chris Weitz being attached to direct before Spyglass picked it up with D.B. Weiss writing the script. Later, Lionsgate Pictures and Fox Searchlight also flirted with the project, but eventually MGM took over it.
Serving as the directors and writers for "The Game" are Brian Koppelman and David Levien. Chris and Paul Weitz as well as Paul Schiff and Andrew Miano are tapped to produce the film, which still hasn't cast any actors.
As for Franco, the 33-year-old actor will begin filming "Jay and Seth vs. the Apocalypse", which will be Seth Rogen's directorial debut, this spring. He is also close to make a cameo as Playboy kingpin Hugh Hefner in "Lovelace", a biopic about iconic porn star Linda Lovelace.
