Early last month we learned that James Franco was next on deck to be roasted for this summer's Comedy Central Roast. Following in the footsteps of Roseanne Barr, Charlie Sheen, Donald Trump and others, Franco will be the target of whatever humorous pokes the unspecified dais of comedians and celebrities have in store. With a month to go before the Roast airs, Comedy Central released the above teaser, which demonstrates something vital about this summer's Roastee: James Franco can take a punch. That's key if he's going to be sitting up on stage taking verbal jabs all night.
In addition to the slow-mo tease of Franco getting socked in the face, Comedy Central also announced today that they've selected a Roast Master for the event, and it's none other than Franco's occasional co-star Seth Rogen. Given that Franco and Rogen have crossed paths on screen numerous times over the last decade or so, it seems only fitting that that Rogen should star alongside Franco in this. Their comedic chemistry is a proven entity. The duo first teamed up in 1999 for the beloved but short-lived dramedy Freaks and Geeks. Among their other shared credits are Pineapple Express and This is the End, the latter of which had both actors playing themselves in an apocalyptic scenario.
While Rogen has mainly stuck to funnier films, Franco's credits are all over the map, from his role as the barely recognizable "Alien" in Spring Breakers to his recurring character Franco in General Hospital, and going back a bit further, the part of Aron Ralston in 127 Hours, a film that earned Franco an Oscar nomination. So he hasn't shied away from genres, but he always seems to come back to comedy, so it's fitting in that regard that he's set to be roasted.
The Comedy Central Roast of James Franco is set to tape at Culver Studios on August 18, which means we'll hopefully be hearing updates about who's set to do the roasting between now and the taping. And then we'll have to wait a few weeks after that to see it. Comedy Central has the event set to air Labor Day, Monday, September 2 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
If you haven't seen it, Comedy Central has the full Roast of Roseanne available streaming on their website here. And here's a clip from Charlie Sheen's Roast that shows Sheen firing back:
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