Like most projects in Hollywood, the new Hulu series, “Pam & Tommy,” had previously been in development for years. And as you might expect, there were a lot of different iterations of the limited series well before filming began, including one instance where James Franco was eyed for one of the lead roles.
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In the new Variety profile about the Hulu series, “Pam & Tommy,” which tells the incredible true story of how the Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson sex tape was leaked on the internet in the ‘90s, there are stories about how the show came together. Previously, when Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Point Grey production company was given the material, the producers thought this would make for a great film and apparently had James Franco in mind for the role of Tommy Lee.
Eventually, years would pass, and “Pam & Tommy” morphed into a Hulu limited series with filmmaker Craig Gillespie coming aboard and suggesting his “I, Tonya” actor Sebastian Stan as Lee. Then eventually, Lily James came on as Anderson, and the series was off to the races.
But as much as people were shocked by the announcement of Stan as Tommy Lee, considering the “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” star is about as far as you can imagine from the skinny, tattooed, grungy rock star person of Lee, Franco would have been an even bigger leap, probably. Sure, he has the grungy look and would likely have played the skeezy side of Tommy Lee pretty well, but it’s definitely hard to imagine Franco pulling off the rockstar vibe. But who knows?
Much like any of the “what if?” casting questions we’ve seen over the years, we’ll never know how James Franco would have fared in “Pam & Tommy.” And honestly, judging by the trailers and early buzz, Stan and James seem to be doing a great job in the series, anyway.
“Pam & Tommy” arrives on Hulu on February 2.