James Franco is Torn Apart in New Trailer for ‘The Disaster Artist’ (VIDEO)

I have to hand it to James Franco. This idea of his to turn Greg Sestero's book "The Disaster Artist," about the making of 2003's The Room, into a movie seemed so insular and so much like another one of Franco's pranks that I couldn't really get excited about it. I'm a huge fan of The Room, and the book, and the cult surrounding it all, but I didn't think there was any way to pull this off without making it seem like a bunch of celebrities laughing at a bunch of wanna-be celebrities. 

This new trailer, however, has me reconsidering at least some of that. While I could do without Seth Rogen playing himself in yet another movie, I'm really intrigued by what Franco's doing as Tommy Wiseau. He seems to be playing it totally straight and sincere, which is the best case scenario for this, honestly. I'm glad he's not winking at the audience or anything. Wiseau is a truly tragic character and I think Franco's grasps the depths of his sadness. 

But it also looks very funny and nails the particulars, and I feel like Franco is doing something weird and different, yet again. The Disaster Artist opens in North America on December 1.