One of the wildest behind-the-scenes tales of the process of a movie getting made doesn’t necessarily come from a big Hollywood production, but from first-time filmmaker Tommy Wiseau trying to write, direct, produce, and star in a melodrama. The Room has earned a cult following for all of its filmmaking missteps, with James Franco having directed a film based on the journey, The Disaster Artist, whose teaser you can view above.
In the film, Franco stars as Wiseau as he attempts to write, direct, produce, and star in his debut movie. With no real filmmaking experience in Hollywood, Disaster Artist showcases how a filmmaker can overcome adversity to get his film made, even if his passion outweighs their talents. The film is based on the book of the same name, written by The Room star Greg Sestero, about his experiences on set and chronicles his adventures with filmmaker Wiseau as they traveled across the country to appear at raucous Q&As.
Videos by PopCulture.com
The Room focuses on Johnny (Wiseau), whose job is somehow related to computers, as he attempts to advance his engagement to fiancee Lisa (Juliette Danielle). Sadly, Lisa is actually engaged in an affair with Johnny’s best friend Mark (Sestero), with Johnny slowly learning clues of the romance, leading to an epic confrontation.
UP NEXT: A24 Snags Rights To James Franco’s ‘The Disaster Artist’ About ‘The Room’ Phenomenon
Wiseau’s film originally premiered at one theater for a two-week engagement in 2003, with audiences reacting so negatively to the film, the theater was prompted to post a “NO REFUNDS” sign due to how many complaints they received. However, word-of-mouth about how entertaining the film was, despite its poor quality, resulted in a massive turnout at the film’s final screening.
The following year, Wiseau was contacted about doing a midnight screening of his film, which was so successful, it screened again the following month at midnight, and so on. The Room built a huge following, similar to that of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with fans interacting with the film in the theater.
Franco showed a “work-in-progress” screening of The Disaster Artist at this year’s South by Southwest film festival, where it received a standing ovation and high praise from critics.
MORE NEWS: HBO Releases First Teaser For James Franco Porn Drama ‘The Deuce’
The film also stars Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Alison Brie, and Josh Hutcherson.
Following The Disaster Artist‘s December 1 limited release, it will receive a wider release on December 8.
