James Franco Tries to Make King Cobra Happen
File under: Hating myself right now. As of October 22nd I will officially have been covering the STILL UPCOMING King Cobra movie starring James Franco for an entire year. While all I really want to do is write some more about sexy Disney characters, because it gives me life, we should probably delve into this most recent promotional push for the STILL UPCOMING King Cobra (out in theaters October 21st).
James “I like to think that I’m gay in my art and straight in my life” Franco produces the movie, which delves into 17-year-old Brent Corrigan's real life rise to fame, and the ensuing murder that rocked the gay porn world. As we covered 45 years ago, Brent Corrigan IRL doesn't approve of the casting of former Disney twink Garrett Clayton (now 25-years-old), saying on his Twitter on October 20th, 2015:
I was 17-21 in the years the screenplay spans. I looked much younger. He doesn't embody Brian's preference for not legal boys.
Garrett Clayton as Brent Corrigan
This isn't the only gripe that Corrigan has with King Cobra movie, but it is... the gayest. Brent, born in 1986, still isn't that far removed from the essential statutory shenanigans he encountered at 17, and I can't help but feel had the movie focused on something less mock-worthy, if it would be deemed "too soon." This feels especially true since Corrigan - real name Sean Paul Lockhart - isn't even banking anything off of this. It's a passion project from a self-obsessed squinting enthusiast who was once kind of hot when he was in better shape, and before we could compare him to superiorly sexy brother Dave Franco.
38-year-old James Franco's involvement with gay culture is the equivalent of someone tapping on a gay aquarium to see what happens, and he walks away when the results are unfavorable. Something about the way that this movie is being promoted and received really bothers me. Everything from the campy, cutely stylized trailer to this first line from Vulture's coverage of this new King Cobra clip:
Like a nightclub touted by Saturday Night Live's Stefon, the new film King Cobra offers up a plethora of wild, unexpected delights.
seem to suggest that because the words "gay porn" are involved, it's just a hoot and a holler. Like, am I fucking insane? Maybe it's because I write for a website that covers gay porn, and so I think about the actors beyond just got-a-pipe-in-my-crack plumber jokes? In case you need a refresher, the drama in King Cobra stems from the real life murder of Corrigan's first producer Bryan Kocis (Christian Slater) by two new kids in town, played by James Franco and Keegan Allen) who want to cash in on Corrigan's success. Okay check out the trailer here:
Donald Trump-worthy rant after my two minutes is up: Can I just point out that co-star Molly Ringwald used the word "faggot" in Sixteen Candles, and when asked about it by Advocate in 2010 COMPLETELY glossed over it - even suggesting that director John Hughes was ahead of his time in regards to teenage sexuality? Nope, nope, nope, nope.