James Franco: Stephen King's '11.22.63' Offers 'Fresh Take' on JFK Assassination
With the help of Stephen King and J.J. Abrams, James Franco is coming out of the closet. No, not that closet. He’s coming out of a fictional one in a restaurant that doubles as a portal to the early ‘60s in the new nine-hour limited Hulu series, 11.22.63, based on the New York Times best-selling 2011 King novel of the same name.
Appropriately debuting on Presidents’ Day, it tells the story of present-day English teacher Jake Epping tackling his friend’s (Chris Cooper) dying wish — to travel back in time via the supply cupboard to foil the assassination of John F. Kennedy, which Cooper’s character believes would prevent Vietnam and generally make the future a better place. Unsure if he can take the necessary measures like kill someone history isn’t 100 percent sure was guilty or if the plan would even have the desired butterfly effect, Epping also faces the challenge of outwitting a determined Lee Harvey Oswald and a past that, as it turns out, doesn’t want to be changed.
Related: James Franco Travels Through Time in ‘11.22.63’ Trailer
Franco, who loved the King book, admitted he was fascinated with the Kennedy case and the “what if?” angle when he sat down with Yahoo TV alongside his costar/onscreen love interest Sarah Gadon at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. “There have been a lot of Kennedy pieces, but this had a fresh take… perfect for this new generation,” he explains.
It didn’t hurt that he himself was a superfan. “I love Stephen King and I love J.J. Abrams,” he admitted in an earlier interview with Yahoo TV interview. But when he emailed King and found out Abrams had already secured the rights to adapt the time-traveling tale for the screen, he initially let the dream of doing it himself go. But destiny, coincidentally, intervened and he further explains in the clip how the Stars Wars director sought him out. “When I was offered the opportunity to direct as well as act in this project I said yes, immediately.”
Gadon admits her road to booking 11.22.63 was paved with far fewer personal emails, which she subtly teases Franco about. “I got a call from my agent and she said, ‘You have to put yourself on tape for this.’”
Related: See '11.22.63’ Season 1 Photos
Franco really enjoyed his blast to the past, especially when they were recreating that fateful day in Dallas on location in the Texas town. “When we had the money to recreate large spaces like the auditoriums where JFK gave speeches, the Cuban restaurants of old Dallas, or Jack Ruby’s night clubs, it was like we truly traveled back in time. They even shut down Dealey Plaza for a few days so we could shoot there. It was eerie, but also magical.”
Starting Feb. 15, new episodes of 11.22.63 will be available Mondays on Hulu.
