Seth Rogen and James Franco were frequent collaborators on projects like “Freaks and Geeks,” “Pineapple Express,” “This Is The End,” “The Night Before,” and “The Disaster Artist.” They were also part of the “Frat Pack,” actors who have collaborated with director Judd Apatow like Rogen, Franco, Paul Rudd, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Jonah Hill, and Jason Segel.
The “Frat Pack” more or less disbanded after #MeToo and the 2018 sexual misconduct allegations against Franco, which also derailed the actor’s career. Five women came forward and accused Franco of sexually exploitative behavior during his teaching tenure at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. The actor denied the allegations, saying they were “not accurate.”
Franco had just written, directed, starred and won a Golden Globe for “The Disaster Artist” — he might might have even lost a chance at scoring a Best Actor Oscar nomination due to the allegations that surfaced as voting was happening.
It’s not just Hollywood who decided to castigate Franco to the deep pits of cancelation hell, but also Franco’s best buddy, Rogen, who no longer speaks to him. In an interview with Variety at the Rome Film Festival, Franco confirmed the falling out with Rogen and doesn’t believe they’ll ever team up again for another film.
"I haven’t talked to Seth. I love Seth, we had 20 great years together, but I guess it’s over," Franco said. "And not for lack of trying. I’ve told him how much he’s meant to me,” he added.
During Franco’s #MeToo scandal, Rogen distanced himself from his friend, telling The Sunday Times that he had no plans to ever work with the actor again.
"What I can say is that I despise abuse and harassment and I would never cover or conceal the actions of someone doing it, or knowingly put someone in a situation where they were around someone like that," Rogen said.
"I do look back at a joke I made on Saturday Night Live in 2014 and I very much regret making that joke," said Rogen. "It was a terrible joke, honestly. And I also look back to that interview in 2018 where I comment that I would keep working with James, and the truth is that I have not and I do not plan to right now. "
Ever since the allegations, Franco has only acted in three films: “Future World,” “Kin,” and “The Pretenders.” However, he’s now decided to branch out to Europe, this year starring in French (“Le Prix de L’argent”) and Italian (“Hey Joe”) movies that will likely never be released in the U.S.
Franco settled the accusers’ lawsuit in 2021, and records that PEOPLE obtained at the time showed that he agreed to pay $2M in the settlement.
Criterion's December lineup has some great additions to the library, but the title that jumped out at me is Werner Herzog's "Grizzly Man," which officially joins the Collection on December 8.