The first trailer for James Franco's "As I Lay Dying", an adaptation of William Faulkner's novel of the same name, has hit the web a week ahead of the drama's international debut at the Cannes Film Festival, TheWrap said.

Written and directed by Franco, the film follows a family's quest to honor its dead matriarch by venturing across the Mississippi wilderness to bury her remains.

Danny McBride ("Eastbound and Down") takes a break from being Hollywood's funniest jerk to co-star with Tim Blake Nelson, Logan Marshall Green, Ahna O’Reilly and Jim Parrack in the southern period piece.

Faulkner's 1930 novel is told from the perspective of 15 different characters, so it should be interesting to see how Franco tackled the narrative when the film premieres at Cannes on May 20.