A debut trailer for James Franco’s adaptation of the John Steinbeck novel In Dubious Battle has landed online. Scripted by Matt Rager, the film revolves around an apple picker strike in 1930s California. Paper Towns star Nat Wolff leads the pic, and Franco assembled an undeniably impressive ensemble that includes Robert Duvall, Vincent D’Onofrio, Selena Gomez, Ed Harris, Bryan Cranston, Sam Shepard, Analeigh Tipton, Danny McBride, Josh Hutcherson, Zach Braff, and of course Franco himself.

Did you know that Franco has directed over 15 feature films? Indeed, the prolific actor is ever-busy behind the screen, and in recent years has taken it upon himself to adapt some of the classic works of American literature. He tackled William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury and As I Lay Dying, and now he’s taking on Steinbeck. It’s interesting to see Franco tackling such challenging works as a director, but thus far his efforts haven’t exactly been home runs. He potentially has his most commercial directorial project thus far with The Masterpiece, which tells the story of the making of The Room, but first we’ve got In Dubious Battle.


The film is set to have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival before heading to the Toronto International Film Festival, so the first reviews should arrive in short order. For now, check out the trailer below. The film does not currently have a release date.

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Image via Momentum Pictures