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James Franco To Star In Broadway's 'Of Mice and Men'

James Franco
James Franco (credit: Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images)

 

(CBS SF/AP) - Just after his infamous "ride" with Seth Rogen, that went viral on YouTube, Palo Alto native James Franco is heading to Broadway.

He and Chris O'Dowd will make their Broadway debuts next year as unlikely friends in a stage adaptation of "Of Mice and Men."

Producer David Binder said Tuesday that Franco ("Oz the Great and Powerful," "127 Hours," "Milk") will play George, and Irish actor and "Bridesmaids" star O'Dowd will play Lennie in the revival, which starts performances in March at the Longacre Theatre. Tony Award-winner Anna D. Shapiro will direct.

The story by John Steinbeck centers on two migrant field workers in California during the Great Depression -- the big-dreaming George and the mentally challenged Lennie. It has not been seen on Broadway in 40 years.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS San Francisco and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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