James Franco's planned Hollywood return as Seth Rogen confirms he has no plans to work with disgraced actor
Seth Rogen has given a rare comment about his ongoing relationship with James Franco, his long-time acting partner who he distanced himself from after allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct.
Rogen and Franco worked together for years on films such as The Interview, Pineaple Express, and This is the End.
Franco’s career looked set to take off as a serious actor, with the celebrity having been in the middle of an awards run The Disaster Artist when allegations became public that he had slept multiple student at his acting school and was accused of sexual assault by an ex-Girlfriend. He has since been ‘cast out’ from Hollywood, not appearing in any projects between 2019 and 2024.
Amidst his award run for Disaster Artist, where he was touted to be nominate for an Oscar before former students suggested he was 'sexually inappropriate' by sleeping with them whilst being their teacher, Rogen spoke out initially to defend Franco before later walked these back and made clear he had no plans to work with the actor.
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Years after being ‘exiled’ from Hollywood however, Franco is in the midst of a comeback with multiple projects booked including a major franchise film.
Franco is set to appear in the upcoming Rambo prequel and has multiple major projects on the way
Since 2024, when Franco made his return to acting, he has appeared in mostly independent projects and small TV shows.
Earlier this year however it was announced that the actor had joined the cast of John Rambo, an upcoming prequel to the iconic Sylvester Stallone film following the character’s earlier years as a green beret.
The cast is fairly star studded, with Franco being joined by Noah Centineo as the titular Rambo, as well as David Harbour.
This is the biggest sign of a Hollywood comeback to date, but is not the only upcoming project of note. Franco has 11 upcoming roles according to IMDb, including The Long Home.
This R Rated project is directed by Franco, who also stars, and has an even more star-studded cast with Giancarlo Esposito, Josh Hartnett, Josh Hutcherson, Ashton Kutcher, and Courtney Love all set to star alongside Franco.
Franco has previously hit out at claims his 4 year hiatus after the allegations made against him had been him ‘hiding out’.
He told Deadline: “It’s not true I’ve been hiding out. I’ve been here the last three or four years running, selling things, and they treat me well, and I get to go and see great movies."
Rogen said in fresh comments that he has no plans to work with James Franco moving forward
Rogen told the New York Times’ The Daily podcast: “I’m trying to think how much I want to personally share about this.
"I honestly think the nuance of it is too personal for me to get into right now," he continued.
"It is a very personal thing, and I think there’s like the public-facing side of it, which I’ve spoken about, and I have the same stance publicly that I’ve had."
Rogen explained his caution in explaining the personal side of the end of his and Franco's relationship, as it 'involves people that I don’t know if I should be dragging into this' but reiterated that he has not changed his stance towards Franco.
He continued: “I haven’t worked with him in a really long time, and I have no plans to.
“I think the proof is in the pudding more than anything. I have not worked with him in years... I think the proof is in the pudding more than anything. I have not worked with him in years.”
The actor-writer had previously said of the allegations: “I despise abuse and harassment, and I would never cover or conceal the actions of someone doing it, or knowingly put someone in a situation where they were around someone like that.
"I also look back to that interview in 2018 where I comment that I would keep working with James, and the truth is that I have not, and I do not plan to right now."
Topics: Seth Rogen, James Franco, TV and Film, Celebrity
Michael Slavin