James Franco is an animal. James Fran­co, in the same year, starred in the Oscar-winning drama Milk as a gay lover, and in the stoner comedy Pineapple Express as Sol the drug dealer. James Franco is taking classes at Yale and studying for a doctorate. James Franco sells paintings he paints for thousands of dollars. James Franco starred this year in the soap opera General Hospi­tal. James Franco owns his own production company. James Franco won “best smile” at Palo Alto High School. James Franco is set to star and direct in two films. James Franco is up for an Academy Award for his role is 127 Hours. James Franco doesn’t sleep. Three years from now, James Franco will be the biggest star in Hollywood.

The previous statement is not a guess; it is a fact. Franco is the perfect Hollywood star. He is handsome, extremely talented, a workaholic and, most importantly, a ge­nius. His upcoming films are the most impressive of any star in Hollywood, with only Leonardo DiCaprio coming close (the next Jay Gatsby and the next star of Clint Eastwood’s film Hoover).

First, Franco will star in the medieval comedy Your High­ness, along with Danny McBride and Natalie Portman. Early buzz on the film is that it is hysterical. Soon after, Franco will star in the prequel to the Hollywood classic Planet of the Apes. The film will be a sure-fire blockbuster as Franco stars alongside Tom Felton aka Draco Malfoy. Next up for Franco will be two films he is both directing and starring in. First is The Broken Tower, which is a “biography of American poet Hart Crane, who committed suicide at the age of 32 by jumping off the steamship SS Orizaba.” Next will be The Night Stalker, a film about the serial killer Richard Ro­driguez and his rampage in the 1980s. Lastly, Franco has now begun contract negotia­tions to star in Sam Ramii’s blockbuster Oz, The Great and the Powerful, in which he will play the lead role of the Wizard of Oz. The film is a prequel to the original classic and IMDb writes that the film is about “a young il­lusionist with a grandiose at­titude who is forced to flee a traveling circus.” His hot air balloon is swept up by a tornado to the land of Oz, which is run by two magical wicked witches.”

So what does all this mean for Franco’s role in Hollywood? With so many diverse projects, Franco has the opportunity to transcend a typical role and be one of the few actors who can star in a comedy, drama and big budget action film. What is more impressive is that Fran­co is directing and producing a percentage of these films. We will be seeing that “best smile” for years to come.