The actor has signed up for the film version of Neil Strauss’s memoir about infiltrating a secret society of seducers with questionable methods

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Fresh from his adaptation of John Steinbeck’s trade union epic In Dubious Battle, which premiered at the Venice film festival last week to mixed reviews, James Franco has signed up for another movie version of a bestelling book.

The actor is set to play Mystery, arch pickup artist and mentor to the protagonist in The Game, which is being adapted from Neil Strauss’s infamous memoir of the same name.

Published in 2005 and first optioned for a film a year later, The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists tells of the experience of Strauss, a journalist, under the instruction of professional seducers. Having come across the community while working on an article, Strauss attended a boot camp that tutored “uber-geeky” men in the art of getting women into bed.

The book attracted criticism for its use of such tactics as negging – insulting a woman to lower her self-esteem – to undermine the target’s confidence in the process of seduction.

The leading role has yet to be cast.