‘The Disaster Artist’ finds heart behind cult classic ‘The Room’

James Franco remembers driving around Los Angeles over 10 years ago and seeing mysterious billboards that had been put up by eccentric and enigmatic indie filmmaker Tommy Wiseau.

“We’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars to put these things up, and it was his face with the lazy eyelid glaring at you,’’ the Oscar-nominated “127 Hours’’ star recalled in an interview.

“It said ‘The Room’ and there was a phone number. It was just the weirdest thing ever. I remember driving by it and just thinking, ‘Oh, it’s a cult,’ because what movie poster ever has a phone number? It’s just weird.’’

Weird is a word commonly used to describe “The Room,’’ Wiseau’s bizarre 2003 cult classic known as “the ‘Citizen Kane’ of bad movies.’’

Franco, who recreates the making of “The Room’’ in his acclaimed new comedy “The Disaster Artist,’’ said he first became familiar with the so-badit’s-good romantic drama while shooting 2014’s “The Interview’’ in Vancouver.

That’s when he read Greg Sestero’s non-fiction book “The Disaster Artist,’’ in which “The Room’’ star recounts the madcap making of the notoriously awful movie, which Wiseau dumped a ton of money into and wouldn’t give up on.

“I just couldn’t get enough of it, because it was wacky and insane but it was also very moving,’’ Franco said during the recent Toronto International Film Festival, where “The Disaster Artist’’ made its world premiere.

“It was about a guy with a dream who had been rejected his whole life and he’s just striving to get his vision out into the world.’’ Franco then went to a screening of “The Room’’ in Vancouver and was blown away by the electric atmosphere in the crowd, which was celebrating the cringe-worthy hallmarks of the film by throwing around spoons and footballs, wearing tuxedoes and yelling back lines at the screen.

That night, Franco also met Sestero and talked about adapting “The Disaster Artist’’ for the big screen.

Franco directs, co-produces and delivers a spot-on performance as Wiseau in the film, which opens Friday in Toronto and Dec. 8 across Canada.