Chris O'Dowd to Star Opposite James Franco in OF MICE AND MEN Revival?

As BroadwayWorld reported yesterday, John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, which will be heading to Broadway beginning (tentatively) Saturday, March 22, 2014, with an opening night slated for Thursday, April 17, 2014. The show is set to run through Sunday, July 27, 2014. The play will be directed by Anna D. Shapiro.

Now according to the New York Times, the production will be led by James Franco as 'George', who has been long rumored to be involved with the revival. Though no one has signed on to play 'Lennie', Chris O'Dowd (Bridesmaids, Girls) is in talks to make his Broadway debut in the role. Additional casting has not yet been announced.

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Based on Novel Prize-winning author Steinbeck's 1937 novella, Of Mice and Men centers on Lennie Small and George Milton, two migrant ranch workers during the Great Depression in California.

The original Broadway production of Of Mice and Men premiered in 1937. The play was staged by George S. Kaufman with Broderick Crawford and Wallace Ford in the lead roles of Lennie and George, respectively. The play was later revived in 1974, directed by Edwin Sherin and featuring James Earl Jones and Kevin Conway in the starring roles.

Shapiro's Broadway directing credits include August: Osage County, for which she won the 2008 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play, and 2011's The Motherf**ker with the Hat, for which she was also nominated for a Tony Award. She also helmed The Pain and the Itch, Iron and Trafficing in Broken Hearts off-Broadway.