Another week, another James Franco story. It’s getting kind of ridiculous, actually.

First, Variety is reporting that the actor/artist/student/director/teacher has optioned another book to possibly helm. The outlet has revealed that the actor is looking to direct an adaptation of the novel Zeroville, penned by Steve Erickson.

The story "follows Ike ‘Vikar’ Jerome, a 24-year-old student who arrives in Hollywood in 1969 with dreams of breaking into the movie business, which is in the midst of a seismic shift as the decline of studios leads to the rise of independent directors." The character "has tattoos of A PLACE IN THE SUN stars Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor on his head" and he "becomes a successful film editor [who] and embarks on a Hollywood journey that ends in both tragedy and discovery. Characters in the book include Robert De Niro, Brian De Palma, Ryan O’Neal, John Milius, Margot Kidder, Ali McGraw, Paul Schrader and the ghost of Clift.”

While it is unknown what exactly Franco wants to helm next, he does have some choices, including this, HOLY LAND, THE ADDERALL DIARIES, and a Sal Mineo biopic, so he’s not short on options. It remains to be seen as to what type of filmmaker Franco will truly be, but that in and of itself makes me most excited to see what he has in store for us. This project sounds absolutely absurd, so hopefully this one doesn’t fall through the cracks.

In other Franco-related news, Vulture dug up the first photo from the upcoming film Franco is working on with director Harmony Korine, and while it’s absurdly NSFW, it appears to give a good insight into what to expect here. The film will see Korine and Franco capturing gang fights (with real knives apparently), which in and of itself is all one needs to know to get really excited. Check the photo out over at Vulture.