In what might prove to be his acting comeback,James Francohas been cast in the post-WWII dramaMe, YoubyBillie Augustaccording toVariety. The drama is an adaptation ofErri De Luca’s novelTu, Mia.
Me, You,will also seeTom Hollander(The Night Manager) andDaisy Jacob(Vanity Fair) starring alongside Franco. The drama is set in the 1950s, on the Italian island of Ischia as the world recovers from a brutal war. 16-year-old Marco has just one use for his days away from boarding school and that would be sailing the quiet waters of the bay of Naples alongside toughened fisherman and former soldier Nicola who is played by Franco. Marco is soon taken by a deep infatuation for the young Caia played by Jacob and is prepared to go to great lengths to prove himself worthy of her love.
Caia reveals to Marco that she is a survivor of a concentration camp as her dad threw her out of a train in Yugoslavia to save her. Fueled by her stories and those he had heard from the fisherman, Nicola who had been a U.S GI, Marco begins to harbor great resentment against people of German roots. First, it is an altercation with German tourists who were visiting and then Marco was deciding on going big with an arson attack on the residence of the Germans. The official logline reads:
“Deeply tender and bittersweet, ‘Me, You’ explores the raw beauty and tragedy of love, the age of innocence and the bitter realities of war.”
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When the #MeToo movement was at its peak in 2018, Franco was met with allegations from multiple women of sexual misconduct. He was back in the spotlight for the wrong reasons once again in 2019 when students of his film school sued Franco and his partners, alleging that they had been pushed into filming explicit sex scenes while on camera. All parties agreed to resolve the lawsuit with Franco and his partners paying $2,235,000.
Speaking about his opinions on the project, Franco revealed his admiration for the script and the hand directing it. Here is his statement in full:
“I am excited to board this phenomenal project and to be working with the legendary Bille August. I’m a huge fan of his work and ‘Me, You’ is a truly brilliant script.”
Danish director August directs with Hollander playing Edward, Marco’s father.Greg Latterwrites the screenplay withSean O’Kelly,Marc BikindouandMark Hammondproducing. Principal photography begins on Ischia in September.
