Never happier than when he’s trying to do 300 things at once – write, direct, study, poet…ise? – James Franco is taking on another job, this time one for the small screen the Freaks And Geeks veteran occasionally still frequents. He’s signed onto lead Hulu’s adaption of Stephen King’s time-travelling novel 11/22/63.
King’s book, which hit shelves in 2011, follows 35 year-old high-school English teacher Jake Epping, who becomes obsessed with John F. Kennedy’s assassination and finds a way to travel back in time to try to prevent the shooting in 1960s Dallas. Franco is set to play Epping, and while that’s clearly not enough for him, he’ll also be a producer. The art walk inspired by the show must surely already be bubbling away in his noggin.
After the project lingered in cinematic development limbo for a while, Hulu splashed the cash last September to bring King, Abrams and Bad Robot’s Bryan Burk aboard as executive producers, with Friday Night Lights veteran Bridget Carpenter handling show-running duties for what is currently a stand-alone story based on the novel that includes flexibility for further seasons should the idea prove successful.