James Franco Bucks Hard To Land BLOOD MERIDIAN

James Franco has indeed proven himself to be a fine character actor, rather than just another pretty Hollywood face. The dude aims high, and I like that a lot. Franco is putting together an adaption of Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, which he hopes to follow up with a screen adaption of Cormac McCarthy's classic and uber-brutal novel of the Old West, Blood Meridian. Apparently Mr. Franco recently filmed a pitch scene, with actors Mark Pelligrino, Scott Glenn, Luke Perry, and Dave Franco (yep, James' brother) in an attempt to let rights holder Scott Rudin know just exactly how serious he is about bringing the tale to the screen.

Hell, it worked for Josh Brolin and another McCarthy adaption, No Country For Old Men, which he shot a "hire me dammit!" scene for while filming Planet Terror.

Maybe Franco's dedication and tenacity will will out, and Rudin will turn the project over to him. Franco has stated clearly he is willing to finance the film himself as well, which one would think is one hell of a deal sweetener. Tommy Lee Jones and Ridley Scott have both been attached to the project in the past, personally, I'd like to see Franco get ahold of the property. He is talented, hungry, and seems to understand the source material.

To those who have yet to read Blood Meridian, it's the story of "The Kid", a nameless young man drifting through the Old West and running up against some of the era's legendary figures and events. Dispelling myths both about Native Americans, as well as the white man, this is far and away the most realistic and brutally savage "Western" I have read. It sits in my top 10 novels of all time. Highly highly recommended.