When sometimes Columbia/NYU student James Franco was thinking about his next project, at what point did he think, "I know: a soap. Eureka!" Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is really going to happen. Thank God for DVR!

ABC confirmed that Franco will be on the show playing a "mysterious person" who moves into Port Charles, the fictional New York town that is over run by mobsters, evil family dynasties, and plots to freeze the entire world. Guess that's not any more ludicrous than Spider-Man. ABC Soaps In Depth speculates that his story arc will be a few months long and that he'll do one day on the set each week, filming scenes for several episodes at once. His story begins on November 20. Oh man, Franco is totally going to get me sucked back into this show!

Why would Franco, who is a veddy serious actor, want to be on General Hospital? Isn't this the place where people start out hoping that they'll get a career in film, not the other way around? And it's not like he needs a boost of publicity for a sagging career or as a stunt to get more people to go see his upcoming movie Howl. Some guessed that it's research for a film project, and that sounds about the only explanation that seems plausible. But how in the hell is Franco going to turn the character gay?

[Image via Getty]