James Franco, nominated for an Oscar this morning as Best Actor, is Hollywood’s new ‘hottest’ property and he is in talks to star in a film about porn star Linda Lovelace. He would play Chuck Traynor – Linda’s husband and manager and Kate Hudson would play Linda Lovelace herself.
Franco has strong ties to the film: based on Eric Danville’s book ‘The Complete Linda Lovelace,’ it’ll be directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, the head honchos of Franco’s indie Allen Ginsberg film, ‘Howl.’
Lovelace later left the sadistic Traynor, and wrote about her abusive relationship and the evils of the pornography business in a series of biographies in the 1980’s. Lovelace claims she was forced into the porno biz by Traynor.
The film, announced at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, is looking for funds to get off the ground. With Franco and Hudson money will come.
Franco already has a busy year ahead of him: he’s debuting a ‘Three’s Company’ dramatic take; he is appearing in the adventure comedy ‘Your Highness;’ he is directing and starring in William Faulkner’s ‘As I lay Dying’ and Cormac McCarthy’s ‘Blood Meridian;’ and let’s not forget his intermittent appearances on ‘General Hospital.’
