James Franco returns to acting after sex misconduct claims

Four years after facing sexual-misconduct allegations, James Franco is getting back into acting.

Franco, 44, will play one of the lead roles in the post-World War II coming-of-age drama “Me, You” — an adaptation of the novel “Tu, Mia” by Erri De Luca — from director Bille August, according to the Hollywood Reporter. 

“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,” Franco said.

The Hollywood Reporter also reported that Franco will be starring in the upcoming action movie “Mace.”

The “Spring Breakers” actor took a step back from acting after a series of sexual-misconduct allegations made by multiple women in 2018. 

Four of the women who accused Franco were his acting students. In 2019, students at Franco’s since-closed acting school, Studio 4, sued him and his partners.

The lawsuit alleged that Franco created “an environment of harassment and sexual exploitation” by engaging in “widespread inappropriate and sexually charged behavior towards female students.”

Franco agreed to pay $2,235,000 to settle the lawsuit in 2021.

Two years after the allegations, the star admitted to having sex with his students.

“Look, I’ll admit I did sleep with students. I didn’t sleep with anybody in [my ‘Sex Scenes’ class], but, over the course of my teaching, I did sleep with students and that was wrong,” he said in a 2021 interview with SiriusXM’s Jess Cagle.

In the same interview, the “Pineapple Express” actor admitted he was addicted to sex, saying, “I [was] completely blind to power dynamics or anything like that … I didn’t wanna hurt people.”

Two of his accusers, Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal, bashed him for the interview at the time and claimed he downplayed the misconduct.

Shortly after the sexual-misconduct allegations, Franco’s “Freaks and Geeks” co-star Busy Philipps wrote in her book, “This Will Only Hurt a Little,” detailing a time she was allegedly assaulted by the star on set. She claims Franco threw her to the ground and the wind was knocked out of her. Philipps said that she insisted to everyone on set at the time that she was fine.

At the time, Franco faced moderate backlash, including being removed from the Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue cover and having his art removed from his high school. Franco’s BFF Seth Rogan even distanced himself from the actor.

Franco’s acting comeback will see him starring alongside Tom Hollander and Daisy Jacob. Production for “Me, You” begins in September.