James Franco Will Be Involved in Season 2 of HBO's 'The Deuce'
James Franco is returning for the second season of the HBO drama The Deuce amid multiple allegations of inappropriate behavior and abuse of power.
Writer Megan Abbott spoke with reporters at the Writers Guild Awards ceremony at the Edison Ballroom in New York City on Sunday, where she confirmed that the 39-year-old actor would "of course" be joining the show next season.
In the gritty HBO series, which is set in the 1970s, Franco plays twin brothers Vincent and Frankie Martino, who become fronts for the New York mob operating out of Times Square.
As ET previously reported, an article in the Los Angeles Times was published on Jan. 11 that detailed the accounts of five women accusing Franco of abuse of power and inappropriate behavior. However, a source close to Franco disputes that number, adding that the accusations against the actor are "false."
Franco also denied allegations during appearances on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and Late Night With Seth Meyers.
The Deuce co-creator and executive producer David Simon said in a statement following the publication of the report that HBO had not received any complaints against Franco.
“I’m still reading it the same as everyone else, trying to discern what is or isn’t there,” Simon told Variety at the time. “Personally I can only speak knowledgeably to The Deuce. I’ve checked with all my fellow producers and other personnel. We have no complainant or complaint or any awareness of any incident of concern involving Mr. Franco. Nor has HBO been approached with any complaint."
"In our experience, he was entirely professional as an actor, director, and producer," Simon added.
The allegations surfaced following Franco's win for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes. However, when the Oscar nominations were released, Franco was not among those nominated for Best Actor, and many have suggested that Franco was snubbed in response to the allegations.
Speaking with Colbert after numerous allegations surfaced on Twitter, Franco said, "In my life, I pride myself on taking responsibility for things that I've done. I have to do that to maintain my well-being… I do it whenever I know that there's something wrong or needs to be changed. I make it a point to do it.”
"The things that I heard were on Twitter are not accurate, but I completely support people coming out and being able to have a voice, because they didn't have a voice for so long," he continued. "So I don't want to shut them down in any way. I think it's a good thing and I support it."
For more on the accusations against Franco, watch the video below.
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