Dave Franco has apparently made it his unofficial mission to hype up talented filmmakers - and sometimes, that support comes back as a movie. The actor first reached out to Jeremy Saulnier after watching Blue Ruin, then did the same for Macon Blair following I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore. Years later, Franco and Blair finally teamed up on Idiots, a raunchy road comedy hitting theaters August 28.
"We don't tell each other enough how much we enjoy each other's work. There's such a competitive spirit within the industry that I just want to put out some good vibes, especially if it's someone's first time putting out a movie," Franco told The Hollywood Reporter. "So I guess I play the long game sometimes, but it doesn't normally lead to collaboration. More often than not, it has led to friendship."
Blair originally sent Franco a script called The Shitheads in 2017, but Franco initially felt he was too young to play Mark, a washed-up slacker tasked with transporting a disastrous teenage influencer to rehab. Fast-forward several years and Franco had aged into the role - and apparently wasn't taking no for an answer. "I said, 'No pressure, but I'm here. If I can help in any way as a producer, I'd love to come in and help find the money,'" he recalled.
The movie eventually found financing, with Franco helping bring O'Shea Jackson Jr. and Mason Thames aboard. Franco hopes the film can help revive the outrageous comedies audiences loved in the early 2000s, harkening back to classics like The Hangover and Superbad while delivering plenty of shocking moments for modern viewers.