Dévasté par le récent enlèvement de son fils de 15 ans, Largo Winch assiste, impuissant, au suicide de son partenaire commercial lors d’une conférence de presse en direct. Alors que tout se retourne contre lui, que son empire commercial commence à s’effondrer, il découvre que les deux événements sont peut-être liés : s’il retrouve les criminels responsables, il reverra peut-être son fils. Du Canada à la Birmanie en passant par Bangkok… Largo ne sait pas encore que sa quête le mènera droit en enfer…
12 ans après Largo Winch 2, Tomer Sisley reprend le rôle du personnage créé par Jean Van Hamme et Philippe Francq dans un troisième film intitulé Le Prix de L’Argent (le scénario est inspiré par les tomes 13 et 14 de la bande dessinée).
Jérôme Salle a laissé le fauteuil de réalisateur à Olivier Masset-Depasse (Illégal, Duelles). Aux côtés de Tomer Sisley, il y aura notamment Clotilde Hesme et James Franco.
Le tournage est en cours, pour une sortie prévue en 2024.
In 2014, a seventeen-year-old girl posted screenshots of alleged messages between her and Franco on Instagram.[165][166] The messages showed that Franco, then aged 35, tried to meet her in a hotel room after she told him she was seventeen. He sent multiple pictures of himself to prove his real identity. Franco admitted on Live! With Kelly and Michael that he had written the messages.[167][168] Though his actions were legal, given the age of consent in New York is seventeen, he was the subject of media backlash due to the wide age gap. He initially responded to the scandal by tweeting, « I HOPE PARENTS KEEP THEIR TEENS AWAY FROM ME. Thank you. » He later stated he was « embarrassed » and that « I learned my lesson. »[169][170]
At the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, Franco wore a Time’s Up pin in solidarity with the MeToo movement, to protest sexual harassment against women.[171] His pin drew criticism on social media from actress Ally Sheedy, who hinted she had quit acting after working with Franco on a play. A former girlfriend, Violet Paley, also alleged that he once forced her to give him oral sex in a car while they were dating.[172] On January 9, 2018, The New York Times, citing the allegations, canceled a planned event with Franco.[173] On January 10, Franco said on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that the accusations made against him on Twitter were « not accurate ».[171]
On January 11, 2018, the Los Angeles Times reported that five women were accusing Franco of inappropriate or sexually exploitative behavior during the period when Franco was serving as their acting teacher or mentor. One former student stated that Franco « would always make everybody think there were possible roles on the table if we were to perform sexual acts or take off our shirts » in his projects. Another alleged that Franco held a sex scenes class and removed students’ vaginal guards while simulating oral sex with them. Franco’s attorney, Michael Plonsker, disputed the allegations.[174]
In her 2018 memoir, Busy Philipps puts forth an account in which Franco screamed at her before violently shoving her to the ground while on the set of Freaks and Geeks.[175]
On October 3, 2019, two former students of Franco’s now-closed film and acting school, Studio 4, filed a lawsuit against him and his partners. According to The New York Times, the complaint alleged that the program « was little more than a scheme to provide him and his male collaborators with a pool of young female performers that they could take advantage of. » The case claimed that pupils were subjected to « sexually exploitative auditions and film shoots » and had to sign away their rights to the recordings.[176] The litigants sought unspecified monetary damages as well as the return or destruction of any questionable material. Franco has denied the plaintiffs’ claims through his attorney.[177]
On February 21, 2021, it was reported that the lawsuit was settled and that, according to documents filed on February 11, both students had agreed to drop their individual claims.[178][179] The deal was submitted for preliminary court approval by March 15, 2021.[180] In June 2021, terms of the settlement were revealed, and it was disclosed that Franco, pending a judge’s approval, would pay more than $2.2 million to resolve two different legal disputes: one by the two women who cited sexual exploitation (they will receive $894,000), and another class-action plaint by approximately 1,500 Studio 4 students who maintain that they were defrauded. A joint statement by the plaintiffs and defendants reads in part: « While Defendants continue to deny the allegations in the Complaint, they acknowledge that Plaintiffs have raised important issues; and all parties strongly believe that now is a critical time to focus on addressing the mistreatment of women in Hollywood. »[181]
Actor Charlyne Yi, who worked with Franco on The Disaster Artist, claimed in April 2021 that after trying to quit the film over the allegations, they were offered a bigger role by filmmakers. Yi viewed this enticement as an attempted bribe, and also accused Franco’s long-time co-star Seth Rogen of enabling his behavior.[182][183] A month later, Rogen commented on the allegations against Franco, expressing doubts that he would ever work with him again.[184][185]
On December 23, 2021, Franco admitted to having sex with students and having been in treatment for sex addiction since 2016, though he did not address other forms of sexual exploitation.[93][186]
