Because James Franco

[TW for violence.]

Legendary producer James Franco is adapting Michael Gregg Michaud legendary biography of Sal Mineo for the big screen. James Franco starred in a biopic about James Dean who starred in two movies with Sal Mineo. Synchronicity! Franco, however, will not appear in this film.

Franco has cast relative unknown Val Lauren (see inset) to play Mineo in the film tentatively titled Sal.

Sal Mineo's performance as Plato in Rebel Without A Cause is often cited as one of Hollywood's first portrayals of a gay teenager. Later, Mineo himself came out, one of the first celebrities to do so, much to the detriment of his career. Mineo was murdered outside his West Hollywood apartment in 1976. He was 37.

Filming of Sal is set to begin this summer.