At the end of September 2010 , the actor acquired the rights to Stephen Elliott 's '' The Adderall Diaries '' , with the intention to adapt , direct , and star in the film . It was announced in January 2011 that the actor has planned to not only star in , but direct himself in '' The Night Stalker '' , a film version of author Philip Carlo 's book about the 1980s serial killer , Richard Ramirez . Co-screenwriter of the screenplay , Nicholas Constantine , was initially unconvinced that Franco would be right for the movie , until he learned of Franco 's desire to be a director and later watched three of his short films , one of which featured a serial killer , ultimately confirming to the writer that the actor had a darker side . Franco also directed a film version of William Faulkner 's novel '' As I Lay Dying '' . , the film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival . In late 2013 , Franco starred in '' This Is the End '' as a fictionalized version of himself stuck in a house during an apocalypse with Seth Rogen , Jay Baruchel , Craig Robinson , Jonah Hill , and Danny McBride , also fictionalized versions of themselves
2013 Cannes Film Festival
2013 Cannes Film Festival
James Franco