Franco isn't monkeying around with his life

James Franco is a man of many talents. Now the movie star and occasional General Hospital guest star is headed back to school, Franco is working towards not one Ph.D., but two. He'll also appear in a Planet of the Apes prequel later this year.

Just as James Franco's latest film about a scientist who accidentally educates apes enters post-production, Franco heads back to college for a little more education of his own. While still completing a Ph.D. at Yale, the former GH star has embarked upon a quest to earn his second Ph.D. in Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Houston next year.

James Franco was reportedly one of 20 people admitted to the University of Houston's doctoral program; however, he deferred entry until the fall of 2012, possibly to finish his English Ph.D. at Yale. In 2010, he earned a Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University while also studying film at New York University, and Creative Writing at Brooklyn College. Ironically, Franco had dropped out of college in 1996 for a career in acting.

Franco -- author, Golden Globe nominee, soap star, Oscar host, instructor, and student -- enhanced his movie star portfolio by taking on a role in the upcoming blockbuster Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a prequel to the 1968 Planet of the Apes. In the film, Franco plays a scientist testing Alzheimer's cures on laboratory apes. The cures ultimately cause rapid intellectual evolution in the apes.

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In addition to furthering his education and doing film work, Franco has numerous other projects in the pipeline. Franco is rumored to be up for a role on Broadway. In February, director David Cromer expressed an interested in Franco for Cromer's production of Tennessee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth. Franco has also expressed his desire to host the Daytime Emmys

James Franco first debuted on daytime as General Hospital's serial killer Franco, a recurring role that originated in November 2009. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is set to debut in theaters August 2011.

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