One of James Franco's next roles will be as a corrupt police officer. Franco has been cast in the upcoming action thriller film Mace, which will follow two police officers. Mace (played by Franco) is a veteran officer who is both corrupt and dangerous. The other is Virgil Woods, a rookie cop. Virgil believes that he can change the system that fosters officers like Mace. He refuses to be bullied and continues to stand up for his principles. Virgil must later stop Mace from starting a gang war to hide his crimes, which would destroy the city.
The film will be directed by Jon Amiel, with a script written by David Chisholm. Lawrence Steven Meyers, Randy Dannenberg, and John Evangelides will be producers for the film. Brendan McDonald and Kirk D'Amico will serve as executive producers, and Jonathan Tybel will be an associate producer for the film. Myriad Pictures has acquired the worldwide sales rights for the film from Meyers Media Group. It is the first production produced by Meyers Media Group. The company will begin to start selling the film at Marche du Film at the Cannes Film Festival.
"We are thrilled to be returning to Cannes with this highly original and unique film," said Kirk D'Amico, Myriad Pictures CEO. "It is a gritty story set in a modern-day police department where nothing is what it seems. We think that this material in the hands of such an experienced director as Jon Amiel will yield extraordinary results."
Mace is one of many recent films and television series that deals with the topic of police reform. The HBO limited series We Own This City tells the true story of corruption within the Baltimore Police Department, Director Steve McQueen's 2020 film Red, White, and Blue, told the true story of Leroy Logan, played by John Boyega. In the film, Logan leaves his job as a forensic scientist and joins the London Metropolitan Police to change the department's racist attitudes from within.
Mace is currently in pre-production, with filming scheduled to begin later this year in New Jersey.