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'Medium-talent white guy': James Franco ROASTED for starring as Fidel Castro in biopic 'Alina of Cuba'

One user tweeted, 'Justin Trudeau wasn't available to play his Dad? That's too bad'

Oscar nominee and two-time Golden Globe winner James Franco will play Cuban leader Fidel Castro in Miguel Bardem's 'Alina of Cuba', with Imagen Award winner Ma Maestro as Natalia 'Naty' Revuelta, the Cuban-born socialite with whom he has a passionate love affair, as first confirmed by Deadline.

Franco joins the already confirmed Ana Villafae, who plays Alina Fernandez, Castro's daughter, in the lead role. The film will depict Alina's life as Castro's illegitimate daughter and a critic of his rule in Cuba until fleeing to Spain in 1993. The real-life Fernandez, who is functioning as an on-set creative and biographical adviser, helped to secure Franco's casting. She is well known for her breakthrough role as Gloria Estefan in the Broadway musical 'On Your Feet'. She later played Nina Rosario in the Kennedy Center's 2018 production of In the 'Heights'.

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Miguel Bardem directs 'Alina of Cuba', which is based on a script written by Jose Rivera and Nilo Cruz. The film's production is set to begin on August 15, with the crew filming in Colombia.

"To bring the character of Fidel Castro to life, working with James Franco, will be his long-time makeup collaborator Nana Fischer (Golden Globe winner, The Disaster Artist) and dialect coach Jessica Drake (The Batman, Bohemian Rhapsody), who he brought with him," Martinez O'Felan informs EW in an email.

'Alina of Cuba' is Franco's second casting announcement in recent weeks. The Oscar nominee was poised to return to the big screen last month with a role in Bille August's coming-of-age period drama, 'Me, You', four years after stepping away from acting due to sexual misconduct claims. In 2018, Tither-Kaplan was one of five women who accused Franco of sexual misconduct. The accusers wanted to turn the complaint into a class-action suit so that more women may come forward, so they demanded damages and the return of the tapes.

Despite winning numerous honors for his outstanding performances, Franco is being roasted by Twitterati over his casting in the biopic of Cuban leader Fidel Castro. One user on Twitter wrote, "Hey, that medium-talent white guy accused of multiple sexual assaults gets another chance." One tweeted, "As there are no Cubans or even Hispanics in Hollywood." "I hope he changes to a better person because of his past actions." wrote another. One user tweeted, "Justin Trudeau wasn't available to play his Dad? That's too bad."