James Franco planning to direct Cormac McCarthy's Child of God; Blood Meridian on hold

I'm starting to think that nobody's ever going to finish an adapation of Cormac McCarthy's most celebrated novel, Blood Meridian. Doesn't matter who tackles it, whether it's Ridley Scott or Todd Field, it just doesn't come to pass. The latest to take a stab at it was James Franco, who has fallen in love with the author's dark, supremely violent novels. He even shot some test footage for the potential film starring Mark Pellegrino(Lost), Luke Perry, Scott Glenn, and bro Dave Franco, likely to impress producer Scott Rudin, who if you'll recall seemed sorta on the fence about the whole deal back in January. Well now while at a Q&A in Toronto, Franco revealed that Blood Meridian is on the backburner and that another McCarthy work, Child of God, has taken it's place.

Child of God is McCarthy's third novel, and follows the writer's penchant for spotlighting isolated, and deeply disturbed characters. This story takes place in a mountainous region of Tennesse, where Lester Ballard is a man who lives literally and figuratively on the fringe. An outsider prone to violence, devolving into a cave man given to necrophilia and pedophilia. Oi. Another fun McCarthy romp!

No word on when or even if Child of God will actually shoot. Blood Meridian didn't, and there aren't enough details to make anything a certainty. We haven't heard anything about Franco's plan to shoot an adaptation of William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, either.  Maybe Franco's just spreading himself too thin, too full of great ideas but not enough time to see anything through. I hope that's not the case because the projects he has in mind are all very exciting. [We Got This Covered via ThePlaylist]