James Franco, Seth Rogen, and Megan Fox's long-delayed Zeroville is also set in Hollywood in 1969
Aux Features Coming Distractions
Hot on the heels of Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood comes another 1969-set film about the film industry and Sharon Tate: James Franco’s adaptation of Steve Erickson’s 2007 novel Zeroville.
The thing is, it was made way back in 2014, but languished after its distributor, Alchemy, filed for bankruptcy. Now, the film is getting a proper release via the producers at myCinema. The real story, though, is the star wattage on display here: Franco not only directed the film, but acts alongside Seth Rogen, Megan Fox, Jacki Weaver, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Will Ferrell, and a pre-The Act Joey King. Also, Horatio Sanz plays Francis Ford Coppola.
Watch the film’s flashy, over-the-top trailer below.
Here’s a plot synopsis:
Vikar is a lost soul journeying through Hollywood 1969, a land of myths, beauty, and monsters. The studio system is in decay, and a new generation of brash filmmakers are on the rise. With his shaved head marked by a tattoo from his favorite film, 1951’s A Place in the Sun, Vikar is a bizarre presence even amid the dreamers and players. He finds work first building sets, then as an apprentice editor obsessed with wielding the power of moving images. As his involvement in the creative process deepens, so does his fascination with a tragic screen goddess named Soledad. Together they discover just how hard it is to live in the blurred boundary between reality and illusion.
Zeroville is due out on September 20.
27 Comments
Weird that it takes place in 1969 and CBGBs didn’t open until 73.
Story starts in late 60s, book carries through the 70s. Maybe even into the 80s, if memory serves.
Is the book worth a read?
The book is great. Like a more literate Forrest Gump about movies.
It is. If I’m remembering correctly, it starts pretty hard and just keeps pushing. Loses some steam toward the end (again, if memory serves), but overall an enjoyable ride.
Weird? I’d say it’s more anachronistic.
If you’re doing punk in ‘69 then Detroit would be the place not New York or L.A. since that’s where The MC5 and The Stooges were born.
“Franco not only directed the film…” –uhh this is the big red flag here.
the last big red thing I saw in a Franco movie was a gaped cherry in Interior: Leather Bar.
no joke, I beat him at the UCLA writing contest in ‘09 when he wrote that story. He should have won though, because his was just more ‘out there’ and allegedly based on his experiences.My one claim to ‘fame’ *slinks back to coffee maker and cubicle
yeah but maybe you could write
I think Jonah Hill at the James Franco Roast summed it up best.You always hear George Clooney and other big stars saying “My philosophy for making movies is one for them and one for me.” But not my guy, James. James is a rebel. He has his own philosophy: one for them, five for nobody.
Same set where he killed Bill Hader for doing T-Mobile commercials right after leaving SNL. “I mean, this guy’s cashing checks from the fourth largest mobile provider in the nation! And, look, I respect Bill, because Sprint was coming after him hard, but he just held out for that ‘Fuck, you, T-Mobile’ money!”
Shut up and take my quatloos!
I will only see it if Megan Fox is playing Vikar.
She is.
I will only see it if Megan Fox is playing Vikar.
She’s not.
Ok, I’ve tried to watch a couple of James Franco directed movies and never got more than about 20 minutes into them. They were like student films made by the richest, most connected kid in school. Can someone answer me: has he ever directed a good movie?
I’m an easy critic and this film doesn’t look the least bit interesting to me.
Rogen’s Milius isn’t gonna make anybody forget Goodman’s Milius.
The movie might indeed be OK, but that is one of the worst trailers I’ve ever seen.
I can see why it never got released. Every line is said like they are at a table read.
I read through the comments first, so I went in expecting the trailer to be horrible, and it still surprised me with just how bad it was.
What is punk rock and CBGB doing in a movie set in 1969 Hollywood?
This is a horrible trailer given the cast. Totally unwatchable.
Awful.