JAMES FRANCO'S I AM MICHAEL FINALLY GETS A THEATRICAL RELEASE!!

December 01, 2016

Sometimes movies go through the entire process of production only to never truly see the light of day with a theatrical release unless your a big name giant like the MCU or DCEU or Disney but if it's a small production home made or by less famous people or they don't like the sound of it and I think that's a load of bull****. Such has been the case for a completed James Franco drama, I AM MICHAEL, which screened at Sundance in 2015 only to not get picked up for distribution. The movie seemed doomed to the underbelly of unreleased cinema, never to be seen in theaters or at home...until now. Twist!

News is that Brainstorm Media has picked up the rights to the movie and will distribute it to theaters on January 27, 2017 with a 10-market run and at-home digital release. The film from director Justin Kelly, executive producer Gus Van Sant and produced by Franco was made back in 2014, but aside from its Sundance screening was only shown at small festivals and events where it received mostly warm reception, one of the reasons is because James Franco is a legened who works so hard in all aspects of the film industry and I'll give anything a watch as that's what fans do is it not?? deBased on the New York Times article, MY EX-GAY FRIEND, MICHAEL tells the true story of Michael Glatze (Franco), a gay youth activist who became a straight Christian pastor, effectively denouncing his gay lifestyle. The film also stars Zachary Quinto, Emma Roberts and Daryl Hannah. Franco had this to say about the project:

“I Am Michael is an incredibly original film on a very important topic: identity. As we move into a new presidency where sexual orientation might once again be called into question, a film that examines this from such an unusual perspective is invaluable. I'm proud to be a part of it.”

Wow he is just a wonderful human being, I don’t know much about this movie other than what I've read about it for this piece, but the international trailer for the film (below) is engaging enough, and the actual story itself is one I feel like I really need to read more about. Whether or not the movie is good is one thing, but I’m just glad it will get a chance to be seen. I mean, when's the next time we're gonna get to see James Franco in anything? Well there's a few actually starting with Why him with Bryan Cranston, Zeroville where he takes the director chair again and then again in another upcoming film The Masterpiece a remake of the cult film room, so we will see him more than once, Just remember even if we don't see him star in films he is starting to direct and adding more skills to his amazing C.V.