So, here’s the least surprising news in the world: James Franco, who is in just about every movie being made right now and has already played such real-life gay cultural figures as Allen Ginsberg, Hart Crane, and Harvey Milk’s boyfriend Scott Smith, will star as Robert Mapplethorpe in a new biopic. Called simply Mapplethorpe, the film will be directed by Ondi Timoner — who’s known for her cult-favorite documentaries Dig! and We Live in Public — and has just been blessed with a grant from Tribeca Film Institute’s Tribeca All Access Program. Oh, and Joss Whedon fans? Today’s James Franco pop-culture Madlib is rounded out by Eliza Dushku, who is a producer on the project. [via THR]