Trailer: James Franco in Gay Porn Thriller ‘King Cobra’

We’re cautious to believe any hype that says a film will be shocking or explicit, usually as it’s wonderful marketing claptrap. Writer-director Justin Kelly’s prior film I Am Michael (still waiting on release) and the shocking threesome scene many blogs caught onto (it’s not shocking, in fact it’s all left to the imagination) that it supposedly contained, being prime examples. Therefore, we’re a little sceptical of the boundary-pushing that Kelly’s next picture, King Cobra, is likely to do. Despite this, we’re very much looking forward to the upcoming IFC Midnight release.

Based on a stranger-than-fiction true story, King Cobra is a deliciously dark, twisted plunge into the behind-the-scenes world of the pornography industry. It’s 2006, YouTube is in its infancy, and internet porn is still behind a paywall. Taking the stage name Brent Corrigan, a fresh-faced, wannabe adult video performer (Garrett Clayton) is molded into a star by Stephen (Christian Slater), a closeted gay porn mogul who runs the skin flick empire Cobra Video from his seemingly ordinary suburban home. But as Brent’s rise and demands for more money put him at odds with his boss, he also attracts the attention of a rival producer (James Franco) and his unstable lover (Keegan Allen) who will stop at nothing to squash Cobra Video and steal its number one star. Co-starring Alicia Silverstone and Molly Ringwald, King Cobra is part delirious, tabloid-shocker satire, part American tragedy.