dave franco nerve movie
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Dave Franco to make directorial debut with horror film

Dave Franco has made a name for himself as a comedic actor, having only recently really delved into more dramatic roles. While the younger brother of James Franco has kept us laughing for the span of his more than 10-year career, it looks like he’ll be eliciting a different reaction with his next project.

Franco will be making his directorial debut with a horror film titled The Rental, according to Deadline. Alison Brie (Mad Men, Community, Glow) and Dan Stevens (Beauty And The Beast, Downton Abbey) are set to star.

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This isn’t the first time Franco and Brie have worked together in acting roles as the couple’s previous credits include The Disaster Artist, The Little Hours and BoJack Horseman.

Brie cheekily reacted to the announcement, writing “Very excited to work with this new director…I hear he’s excellent. ? Thanks @deadline for spreading the good word! Feeling very proud and honored to bring this man’s vision to life. ❤️”

Sheila Vand (Argo, The OA) and Jeremy Allen White (Shameless) are also set to appear in the upcoming horror flick. Franco wrote the script with Joe Swanberg (Easy), and the film will be produced by Black Bear Pictures alongside the Franco brothers’ Ramona Films.

Franco told Deadline that he “couldn’t be more excited about partnering with Black Bear and to be working with such an amazing group of actors for my directorial debut.”

Not much else is known about the film other than it will begin shooting in Oregon in April. However, according to IMDb, The Rental synopsis reads: “Two couples who rent a vacation home for what should be a celebratory weekend get-away.”

Franco is best known for his roles in the Neighbors series, the Now You See Me series, Superbad, 21 Jump StreetNerve (alongside Machine Gun Kelly) and Scrubs. However, he does have some comedy horror-based acting experience with Warm Bodies and Fright Night.

The crossover from more comedy-based acting roles to horror films has become more prominent over the past few years. Most notably, Jordan Peele blew audiences away with Get Out, and a lot of buzz has been surrounding his follow-up, Us. In the same realm, John Krasinski scared us into silence with A Quiet Place while Danny McBride co-wrote and produced last year’s Halloween reboot.

What do you think of Franco diving into directing with a horror film debut? Sound off in the comments below.

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