A bunch of new set photos from James Franco’s As I Lay Dying have arrived, in preparation for the film’s Cannes debut. In this latest bunch we get a first look at Danny McBride in character. You’ll recognise McBride, as he’s worked with Franco in Pineapple Express, Your Highness and this summer’s upcoming meta-com This Is The End. McBride takes on the role of Vernon for As I Lay Dying, and based on the source material it’s doubtful there’ll be slapstick humour aplenty for their latest collaboration.
Showcasing the beautiful Southern whimsy of Mississippi, we’re greeted with a good look at the ensemble cast. Included in these pics are Ahna O’Reilly as Dewey, True Blood’s Jim Parrack as Cash and Logan Marshall-Green as Jewel. You can check them out below.
James Franco isn’t a thespian to do things by halves. The actor who made his mark with the seminal Freaks and Geeks TV show back in the 90s hasn’t remained in front of the camera for long. While he has made indelible forays into performance across a multitude of genres, his desire to create from the offset is clear. In this last year he’s behind five films; As I Lay Dying, Child Of God, Black Dog, Red Dog, the currently in-production Bukowski and The Garden Of Last Days.
He adapted the script and also stars in the film as lead character, Darl Bundren. Based on the novel by William Faulkner, the film follows the Bundrens after the passing of family matriarch Addie (Beth Grant). In honouring her dying wish they quest to bury her in the nearby town of Jefferson.
Attempts to adapt the novel have previously fallen short. The book’s narration is undertaken by 15 narrators across 59 chapters, no mean feat for an adaptation which aims to capture the tone of its source.
As I Lay Dying will be released later this year after Cannes.
