James Franco Is The Disaster Artist In First Official Still For The Masterpiece

Of all the many, many projects cramming up James Franco’s bustling slate, The Masterpiece has our vote for the most tantalizing pick of the bunch. Having wrapped production earlier this year, we now have our first official peek at the cast in costume.

Billed as a true-life depiction of the creation process behind Tommy Wiseau’s cult drama The Room, the biopic formerly known as The Disaster Artist has pulled together a star-studded ensemble as Franco et al. look to shed light on the romantic drama first released in 2003.

Derided and celebrated almost in equal measure, The Room was written, directed and produced by Wiseau – who will also have a cameo appearance in Franco’s feature film – and that troubled production was chronicled in Greg Sestero’s nonfiction novel, The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room. Indeed, that book will act as the primary source of inspiration for James Franco’s directorial effort, as he looks to spotlight the “Citizen Kane of bad movies.”

Since its release more than a decade ago, The Room has entered cinema’s so-bad-its-good pantheon. Introducing that critical due to a new generation will be James Franco as eccentric director Tommy Wiseau, along with Josh Hutcherson, Ari Graynor, Jacki Weaver, Hannibal Buress, June Diane Raphael, Zac Efron, Nathan Fielder, Alison Brie, Sharon Stone, Paul Scheer, Bryan Cranston, Judd Apatow.

This is a true story about the making of THE ROOM – the cult classic described as the “Citizen Kane of bad movies”. THE MASTERPIECE, directed by and starring James Franco, is a buddy comedy about two outsiders chasing a dream. When the world rejects them, they decide to make their own movie – and it’s a movie so wonderfully awful due to its unintentional hilarious moments, meandering plots and terrible acting.

Look for The Masterpiece to make its bow later in 2016.