Whatever Happened To James Franco's 'Sal' Biopic?

James Franco’s Sal, the biopic that he conceived and directed in 2011, apparently came and went without so much as a whisper of publicity. Last fall, the movie was shown at the Venice Film Festival (with Franco in attendance) and then the Austin Film Festival and then... nothing.

We first wrote about it last July, with great anticipation for Val Lauren's starring role, with a then-targeted street date of 2013. I have no idea if there are intentions for wide release at this point.

Loosely based on Michael Gregg Michaud’s biography, the story surrounds the final day of one-time teen idol Sal Mineo’s life at the age of 37, on February 12, 1976. "He eagerly plans his future, which includes an upcoming play he rehearses for and promotes. There’s a glimpse at his relationship with his lover Courtney, and his friends. His financial struggles, his addictions and his active lifestyle. All leading up to his unfortunate, seemingly random murder and the culprit’s arrest," reports website Movie Pool.

Its review from Austin calls Sal a "slow-paced, indie piece that requires a certain artistic mindset to appreciate. While lead actor Val Lauren shines brightly in what is often a very quiet role, Franco’s directing style takes some getting used to."

The flick was shot in nine days on a shoe-string budget, but one would have hoped that Franco's personal fortune would have provided funding for the film to hit HBO or the like. So little information is available on Sal that it's eerily like the Oscar-nominated actor's own demise: simply tragic. *

Can't Wait: James Franco Directs Biopic On Sal Mineo

James Franco first made a name for himself in Hollywood in the 2001 biopic James Dean, for which he won a Golden Globe. So how fitting that the fine actor is now directing the film Sal, about the life and career of another idol of The Smoking Nun, Sal Mineo.

Dean and Mineo, of course, starred with Natalie Wood in 1955's Rebel Without A Cause, for which Mineo was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as quietly gay character Plato.

He next appeared in Exodus, scoring another Oscar nod and winning a Golden Globe award. Mineo also had a small but meaningful role in Dean's third and final flick Giant; and a roaring good time in the title role of The Gene Krupa Story in 1959, for which he learned to play a mad set of drums. Bizarrely, he also played Milo in Escape From the Planet of the Apes in 1971.

Sadly, Mineo—one of the first openly gay actors—was murdered at the age of 37 in 1976.

Sal is based on a new biography of Mineo by Michael Gregg Michaud, and stars relative unknown Val Lauren in the title role. Filming wrapped at the end of June, with a release in 2013. The first stills from Sal have just been released, below the Mineo collage.