The Saul Silver of 'Pineapple Express' seeks $500,000 from fans to produce 'Memoria', 'Killing Animals' and 'Yosemite', adapted from his 2011 book 'Palo Alto'.
- June 19, 2013
AceShowbiz -
James Franco follows in the footsteps of Kristen Bell and Zach Braff, who raised money for their indie projects on Kickstarter. Franco turns to a crowd-funding site named Indiegogo for a trilogy of movies based on his 2011 short story collection, "Palo Alto". The "Spring Breakers" star is asking fans to help finance "Memoria", "Killing Animals" and "Yosemite".
"Although it's a book of fiction, it was inspired by experiences I had growing up here, things that people I knew went through, and generally I see it as a book that's supposed to touch on universal things about being a teenager, coming of age, and learning about the bigger world," Franco explains in a video on the funding site. Seeking $500,000, the campaign has collected $40,544 as of this writing.
The 35-year-old actor reveals that he trusts "talented up and coming filmmakers" to create feature adaptations of his short stories. Nina Ljeti and Vladimir de Fontenay are set to take charge of "Memoria". Bruce Thierry Cheung will serve behind the lens for "Killing Animals", while Gabrielle Demeestere is to direct the latter project.
Franco is currently on big screens in Seth Rogen-directed "This Is the End". His directorial vehicle "As I Lay Dying", the adaptation of William Faulkner's prize-winning book, was premiered at Cannes in May.
