James Franco Goes Full-On Tommy Wiseau in This New The Disaster Artist Trailer

The new trailer for James Franco’s The Disaster Artist goes a little deeper into the film’s subject, the infamous filmmaker and international man of mystery Tommy Wiseau (played by Franco). Based on the nonfiction book by Greg Sestero (portrayed by Dave Franco), The Disaster Artist is an account of Wiseau’s “Citizen Kane of bad movies” The Room, which he wrote, directed and starred in with Sestero.

The previous trailer and the teaser for the film used a lot of familiar scenes, imagery and moments from The Room (“I did not hit her,” “hi doggie,” etc.). This second full trailer is a deeper, but still comedic, examination of Wiseau’s psyche, with the Sestero character acting as a foil to the ambitious filmmaker and questioning his every move. James Franco’s performance comes across more as an impression than a complete embodiment of Wiseau, but admittedly the resemblance is downright uncanny during parts of the trailer.

Franco, pulling double duty as the lead star and director, has compared The Disaster Artist to the Paul Thomas Anderson films Boogie Nights and The Master. Audiences will see how the comparison will hold up when the film releases on Dec. 1, with a wide release on Dec. 8.