While a movie starring James Franco just opened last week, given his tremendous pace, it’s not surprising there’s another around the corner. Only this time, it’s one of his directorial efforts, and “In Dubious Battle” sees the actor/filmmaker turning John Steinbeck‘s classic book into another middling effort.
Calling on some big name pals like Nat Wolff, Selena Gomez, Vincent D’Onofrio, Robert Duvall, Ed Harris, Bryan Cranston, Sam Shepard, Zach Braff, and Josh Hutcherson, the movie follows farm workers who rise up against the increasingly intolerable conditions and wages in which they are forced to toil. Here’s the official synopsis:
In the California apple country, nine hundred migratory workers rise up “in dubious battle” against the landowners. The group takes on a life of its own — stronger than its individual members and more frightening. Led by the doomed Jim Nolan, the strike is founded on his tragic idealism — on the “courage never to submit or yield.” Published in 1936, “In Dubious Battle” is considered the first major work of Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Steinbeck.
“In Dubious Battle” opens on February 17th.