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Brent Corrigan accuses James Franco’s King Cobra of showing ‘contempt’ for gay culture

By Will Stroude

By now it’s no secret that Brent Corrigan ain’t exactly a fan of James Franco’s upcoming gay porn drama King Cobra, which is based on adult star’s early career and relationship with his mentor and producer, the late Bryan Kocis.

The 29-year-old, real name Sean Paul Lockhart, revealed last year that he declined a small part in the film as well as a role working as consultant during its production, and has once again lashed out at the hotly-anticipated movie, which received its first full-length trailer just last week.

Responding to a fan on Twitter who asked if King Cobra was approved by Lockhart and a represented a “true telling” of events that led to Kocis’s death in 2007, the adult star accused the film of making a “mockery” of the porn industry and having a “contempt for queer culture”.

“No true telling about it,” he wrote. “Not approved by me. It tells a story with contempt for queer culture & mockery for porn.”

He added: “I gave them permission to use my name’s but explicitly made it clear that their story was heinous & not sanctioned.”

 

Starring James Franco, Christian Slater, and former Disney actor Garrett Clayton, King Cobra charts Lockhart’s meteoric rise to fame as a teenager under the mentorship of Cobra Video founder Bryan Kocis, before a pair of rival producers resort to drastic measures to cash in on his growing success – with deadly consequences.

Co-starring Alicia Silverstone, former ’80s icon Molly Ringwald and Pretty Little Liars star Keegan Allen, the film received high praise when it premiered at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival in July.

Lockhart, who says he decided against any involvement with the film after reading the script, previously announced plans to tell his side of the story in a new book recounting the events that led to Kocis’s death.

King Cobra hits US cinemas on October 21. The film is yet to receive an official UK release date, but will receive its European premiere at the 60th BFI London Film Festival in October. For more information visit bfi.org.uk/lff.

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