James Franco to Direct Zola Story, Based Off Epic Twitter Saga

David Kushner’s Rolling Stone article is now the basis for the stripper road-trip movie.

By: Pari Heidari, 'Larry King Now'



Exotic dancer, Aziah "Zola" Wells, gave us an insight into her world in October, when she decided to tweet about an epic Florida road-trip she took with her friend Jessica, Jessica's boyfriend, and Jessica's pimp. (Yes you read that right).  The Twitter saga took the online world by storm...and, 148 tweets later, the story (which appropriately took on the hashtag, #TheStory) had reached beyond Wells' 108,000 follower base, and was trending worldwide.

Courtesy: Flickr

Twitter Sensation to Star James Franco in Upcoming Film

With topics such as prostitution, violence and murder, it didn't take long for the rant to be picked up by Rolling Stone magazine writer, David Kushner.

In his article, "Zola Tells All: The Real Story Behind the Greatest Stripper Saga Ever Tweeted," Kushner's gives a more detailed account of the episode.

While parts of the story have been deemed apocryphal, it did lead to the very real arrest of Akporode "Rudy" Uwedjojevwe, the pimp who came along for the ride.  Uwedjojevwe was charged with sexual assault, sex trafficking, battery, attempted pandering and felony counts.

The article, which was published in November,has, in turn, become the inspiration for a new film adaptation.  James Franco is said to co-produce, direct and star in the movie, which Andrew Neel and Mike Roberts have been set to write.

This isn't Franco's first attempt at directing.  The multifaceted actor/director has previously directed In Dubious Battle, The Sound and the Fury and The Disaster Artist, set to be released this year.

See what Franco had to say about being a difficult actor to work with when he was younger, and how directing his own movies has made him more collaborative in this episode of Larry King Now.

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