Back in September there were reports that, while James Franco had hit a wall with his planned adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, he was sticking with the author and turning to the earlier Child Of God instead. Nothing's been heard in the meantime, with Franco's name still attached to practically everything that's announced, but there are reports this morning that Child Of God** is unfolding in front of Franco's cameras as we speak, and that Tim Blake Nelson is starring.
Even more bleak than Blood Meridian (if that were possible), Child Of God is a slim volume about a backwoodsman called Ballard. Recently released from jail, Ballard opts for the survivalist route, takes up residence in a cave in the East Tennessee hills, and goes on a murderous spree to indulge his penchant for necrophilia.
Why the hell would the ever-so-nice Tim Blake Nelson want to play that role, we hear you ask? Well, we don't know that he is. All that's been revealed so far is that he's in the film. His role hasn't yet been confirmed, and his co-stars are apparently "a number of West Virginia locals" (West Virginia being the location for the shoot).
And all may not quite be as it seems, with The Playlist pointing out Franco's penchant for shooting test footage under his own steam before he's landed any kind of production package or green light. He did this with William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, and with Blood Meridian: he put together as much as twenty minutes of the latter with Scott Glenn and Luke Perry, before having to leave it aside.
So Franco continues to scratch his McCarthy itch, but whether we'll actually get to see what he's doing remains unclear. We'll update when more information emerges. McCarthy's original screenplay The Counsellor, is currently being pursued by Sir Ridley Scott...