James Franco Dead: Internet Hoax Claims Actor Murdered By North Korea In Retribution For ‘The Interview’

News that James Franco is dead spread across social media this weekend, all thanks to a fictitious report claiming that the actor was murdered in retribution for his part in the movie The Interview.

The report claimed that Franco was found dead early Friday morning in his Los Angeles home, after police received a call from “the actor’s childhood friend — John Nance.” It went on to claim that Franco was found tied to a chair with multiple gun shot wounds to his head and abdomen.

The report then quoted a Det. Ryan Gastin of the Los Angeles Police Department, who seemingly confirmed that James Franco was dead.

“This is obviously being treated as a homicide case, but we need the coroner to make a final ruling for the homicide to be official,” Gastin was quoted. “That’s all the information we have at this time.”

But the report quickly unraveled as a fake. The site it came from, CityWorldNews.com, is made up of other obviously false reports, including “Obama To Replace Washington On The One-Dollar Bills” and “George W. Bush To Host Saturday Night Live,” among many others.

There also appeared to be no “Det. Ryan Gastin” of the Los Angeles Police Department.

The report likely gained steam thanks to the publicity surrounding Franco’s latest film, The Interview. In the movie, he plays a celebrity interviewer who is able to land an exclusive interview with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but is recruited by the CIA to turn it into an assassination mission.

The movie was scrapped this week by Sony, after receiving threats from hackers, who are reportedly connected to North Korea. The decision has raised controversy and been criticized by many actors and politicians, including both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.

The report that James Franco is dead is not the only fake story related to The Interview. A separate story on CityWorldNews.com claims that co-star Seth Rogen was abducted.