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James Franco To Lead Action Thriller Mace
The Oscar-nominated and original Spider-Man franchise actor James Franco is now set to star in the upcoming action crime thriller Mace.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes and original Spider-Man franchise actor James Franco is set to star in the upcoming action thriller film Mace. The project is being helmed by veteran Hollywood director Jon Amiel, who previously directed notable films such as Entrapment with Sean Connery, and the Bill Murray crime comedy The Man Who Knew Too Little. The film comes from a script written by David Chisholm, and is being produced by Lawrence Steven Meyers, Randy Dannenberg, and John Evangelides.

According to Deadline, Mace is in pre-production and filming is slated to commence later this year in the New Jersey area. Mace reportedly follows the story of two police officers: Mace, played by Franco, who is corrupt and dangerously unhinged, and Virgil Woods, a young rookie who believes that he can change the system. Woods is inspired by the racial injustice on the streets of America, and refuses to be bullied as he takes on his corrupt counterpart. Mace unleashes a gang war to cover up his crimes, and Woods risks everything he believes in to stop him from destroying the city. The film shares thematic elements similar to that of David Ayer’s End of Watch and the Denzel Washington classic Training Day (which was also written by Ayer).

In a statement from Myriad Pictures, CEO Kirk D’Amico described Mace as  “…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.” No release date or other casting choices have yet been announced for the film. Mace marks Franco’s first leading role since 2019’s Zeroville, as the actor largely stayed out of the public eye after several women accused him of sexual misconduct. Prior to that, he received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for films like 127 Hours and the biographical comedy Disaster Artist, which he also directed.