James Franco all set for directorial debut

Los Angeles: James Franco is all set to make his debut with the big screen adaptation of Cormac McCarthy`s `Blood Meridian`. The actor is also keen to direct a movie based on American writer William Faulkner`s novel `As I Lay Dying`.Franco, best known for his roles in `Spider Man` and Danny Boyle`s `127 Hours`, says it was not easy bagging his directorial debut as producer Scott Rudin was not convinced that Franco will pull it off.

Finally, the actor sought help from Luke Perry, Scott Glenn and his actor brother Dave to help him win his break as a moviemaker, reported Entertainment Weekly. Franco, who will co-host the Oscars in February, was so desperate to bag the assignment that he went ahead and shot a test sequence to prove his ability. "I called him (Rudin) up and said, `I`m planning on doing this. You don`t have to give me any money, I can finance this shoot. Would you just wait? Don`t do anything with it until I show this to you.` And I showed it to him and he loved it," Franco said. The actor is also in talks to make a biopic of movie icon Sal Mineo and is in discussions with writer William Faulkner`s estate executors, working on convincing them to grant him permission to turn the classic `As I Lay Dying`, about a family`s attempt to honour a loved one`s wishes to be buried in a specific town, into a movie. Franco has already lined up financial backing for the project, should he win over Faulkner`s estate - Fox Searchlight executives have signed on to develop the work, which Franco hopes to start production on in early 2012. PTI