Franco plays actor Robert Blake in Desert Films, which he also wrote and directed. He will be at the Rio Theatre May 28 and 30.
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James Franco is bringing his surreal, Lynchian stage play Desert Films to Vancouver’s Rio Theatre this month.
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In the play, which he also wrote and directed, Franco portrays actor Robert Blake, who in turn plays his character from the 1997 David Lynch-directed film Lost Highway. The story revolves around the Blake character taping an abductee (played by Blaine Kern) to a chair and forcing him to read the part of Blake’s murdered wife.
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The dark comedic combination of theatre and cinema, which has earned positive reviews, will be performed at the Vancouver theatre on May 29 and 30 at 8 p.m. You can get tickets HERE.
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Sun Spots
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Franco comes to town fresh off a recent appearance at the Cannes Film Festival, where his upcoming independent action-thriller Foster had a market screening. The film is slated for a late 2026 release.
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It was also announced recently that Franco will play a villain in John Rambo, the Rambo prequel. The film, which marks Franco’s first studio film in a decade, will likely released sometime in 2027.
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Franco — who had a robust Hollywood career including an Academy Award best actor nomination in 2011 for the film 127 Hours, as well as starring turns in Pineapple Express, This is the End and The Disaster Artist — stepped away from the spotlight in 2018 after sexual misconduct and exploitative behaviour allegations made by multiple women who were students at his acting school. He largely paused his career after settling a 2021 lawsuit for $2.2 million with two of the women.
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While he originally denied the allegations, Franco, in 2021, acknowledged he slept with students, saying he believed their encounters to be consensual, despite an imbalance of power.
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When asked if there has been any backlash about the programming of the Franco project, Rio Theatre CEO Corinne Lea told Postmedia via email that, “as an arts and culture venue, I feel it is up to the audience to choose whether to attend.
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“I don’t believe that others should decide for them. It’s up to the artist to learn from their mistakes,” Lea said. “I believe it is important for artists to work through difficult issues in their art and, if there is an interest in his work, then it should be seen.”
