James Franco is putting together a deal to star and direct a big screen version of
Phillip Carlo's true-crime book
The Night Stalker, which the
NY Post has learned is being penciled in to shoot this summer. The non-fiction book concerns the rampant sexual assaults and murders attributed to satanic serial killer
Richard Ramirez who spread fear through Southern California, randomly entering the homes of his victims late into the night. When he was eventually caught, he was found guilty on 13 counts of murder, 5 attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults and 14 burglaries. Ramirez is currently on Death Row. The film was written by
Nicolas Constantine and is being co-produced by Soundgarden lead singer
Chris Cornell. It goes without saying the subject material here is extremely dark for Franco. Ramirez was known to have committed necrophilia on his victims as the act of killing tended to arouse him and I just wonder how much Franco will want to touch on this with his film but no matter how you shake it,
the whole thing reads disturbingly. Constaine says;
"This isn't a horror film, nor does it glorify Ramirez in any way... James Franco shares that vision, and we all agree that he is absolutely the one actor, and now director, who can truly do this very intense role and story justice. Phil Carlo painted such an amazing portrait of Richard Ramirez, the human being, and it's that which drew us all to the project. Sure, Ramirez was a monster -- but Phil investigated how he became that monster, and that's what this film is about."
Presumably the film will touch on the late teenage years of Ramirez's addition to drugs & candy, his hyper activity, his early days as a Satan worshiper and the influence of his cousin Mike, a Vietnam vet who taught Ramirez about the nature of war and gruesomely shot his own wife in front of him. You can certainly see a slight physical resemblance between Ramirez & Franco, and you can imagine his performance when you watch the following interview of the killer... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nAfxZlu6AA With Franco, who has been making development deals left, right and center, you can never quite tell what his next project is going to be. Right now he is studying the art of directing at Yale University... and if he decides to go the actor/director route on this kind of project as his directorial debut... well, the kid's got balls. I'll say that much. Can't wait to see it.