Movies
James Franco Walks a Mile in Serial Killer Richard Ramirez’s Shoes
James Franco is moving on up — to killing. After starring in numerous Sundance Film Festival selections, he’s gone to on star in Spider-Man, the forthcoming Rise of the Apes, and even the critically-acclaimed Danny Boyle-directed 127 Hours. Now, the CA-born thespian revealed he’ll be donning the dark role of serial killer Richard Ramirez (in a Chris Cornell-produced thriller!), while also taking the reigns as director! Details inside.
From the NY Post:
Golden Globe-nominated James Franco will play satanic serial killer Richard Ramirez and direct the movie version of true-crime author Philip Carlo’s The Night Stalker, Page Six has learned. The “127 Hours” star, making his directing debut, will start shooting this summer when he’s on a break from Yale.
In 1985, Ramirez went on a rampage of sexual assault and murder, entering homes at night and generating fear throughout Southern California. He was later found guilty of 13 counts of murder, five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults and 14 burglaries.
The film, also titled “The Night Stalker,” will show how Ramirez, currently on death row in California, became a killer. It’s being co-produced by Soundgarden lead singer Chris Cornell and Nicolas Constantine, who also wrote the screenplay.
Constantine said, “Phil Carlo painted such an amazing portrait of Richard Ramirez, the human being, and it’s that which drew us all to the project. Sure, Ramirez was a monster — but Phil investigated how he became that monster, and that’s what this film is about.
“This isn’t a horror film, nor does it glorify Ramirez in any way,” Constantine said. “James Franco shares that vision, and we all agree that he is absolutely the one actor, and now director, who can truly do this very intense role and story justice.
“I had no idea if he would do it, though, since it’s pretty dark subject matter. They told me he was studying to be a director and this was perfect for him. We watched three short films he made, two of which were dark and one of which was about a serial killer. That confirmed James definitely had this dark side, and it definitely sealed the deal for us. Sure enough, James read the material and responded to it immediately.”
Carlo died two months ago after a battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease. His widow, Laura, said that when Cornell and Constantine optioned the book last year, “he spent many hours talking with them and was very impressed with their vision for this film.”
The next V/H/S installment is on the way, this time from producer Roy Lee (Weapons, IT), and it’s landed on its new theme.
Spooky Pictures and Image Nation are teaming to produce V/H/S: SCP, Variety reports, and it’ll be the first feature-length addition to the online collective fiction project, the SCP (Special Containment Procedures) Foundation.
The SCP Foundation began in 2008 as a collaborative digital project and has since grown into one of the largest fan-driven horror and sci-fi universes online. You can get acquainted with the SCP Foundation via Bloody FM’s SCP Archives podcast.
V/H/S: SCP will be framed as “’recovered field documentation,’ or video evidence gathered, redacted, and archived by the secretive organization. Standalone segments in the anthology will focus on different objects, entities, or events under the containment-breach narrative.”
Spooky Pictures is headed by genre veterans Steven Schneider (Insidious, Paranormal Activity) and Roy Lee (Weapons, IT). They’ll be joined by Josh Goldbloom (V/H/S/94, V/H/S/99, V/H/S/Halloween) and Michael Schreiber (V/H/S/94, V/H/S/Beyond) as producers.
“The horror genre continues to be a remarkable launchpad for new talent to share original creations, and the vast SCP universe has provided a vital incubator for this creativity to thrive,” Spooky Pictures co-founder Steven Schneider said. “Along with INS, this next project reinforces our shared commitment to look in new and unexpected spaces for stories. We can’t wait to expand the V/H/S franchise with new, fresh, and terrifying stories that will keep viewers coming back for more.”
V/H/S launched in 2012, followed by 2013’s V/H/S/2, 2014’s V/H/S: Viral, 2021’s V/H/S/94, 2022’s V/H/S/99, 2023’s V/H/S/85, 2024’s V/H/S/Beyond, and 2025’s V/H/S/Halloween.
The upcoming installment marks the ninth film in this franchise.
The SCP Foundation is a worldwide force dedicated to securing, containing, and protecting anomalies from people – At least according to the lore of the website.
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