New Details on James Franco's Crazy General Hospital Return

Get ready for Francophrenia! When movie star James Franco returns to General Hospital, his character -- serial killer and performance artist Franco -- will stage an epic exhibition at L.A.'s Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) as part of his ongoing man-crush on mobster Jason Morgan (Steve Burton). The ABC soap will shoot Franco's grand opening on location at the real MOCA and is currently seeking some 200 GH fans to show up and witness the event. (For details, click here.)

"The name of his new exhibit is 'Francophrenia: Dissolving the Boundary Between Illusion and Reality' -- as, yes, that's Francophrenia as in schizophrenia," says GH head writer Bob Guza. "Franco will create this elaborate dog and pony show for Jason, and Jason's non-reaction to it will make Franco pull the ultimate trigger."

No, Guza doesn't mean that literally. Jason feels guilty that his young ward, Michael (Chad Duell), had to spend time in the slammer and was possibly raped there by one of Franco's goons. "Franco will rub Jason's nose in that -- and it's like waving a red flag in front of a bull 10 times over," says the scribe. "If Jason has a moment alone with Franco, he's going to get him -- and Franco's counting on that. In fact, he's going to make a performance piece out of it."

Call it a case of art imitating...well, art. Franco (the actor) is also working with MOCA and has been shooting a video documentary about his experience on GH that will screen at the museum later this summer. (In a recent Los Angeles Times article, MOCA director Jeffrey Deitch called the Franco-GH connection "the ultimate extension of Andy Warhol guest-starring in The Love Boat.") The actor's posse of videographers -- who seem to trail him everywhere these days -- will play versions of themselves on GH. And the star's own mother, author Betsy Franco, will appear as Franco's mother, Karen Anderson, in scenes airing July 2.

When the Franco character hits the air June 30, he'll be seen in Port Charles disguised as a homeless man. "He will set a trail of breadcrumbs for L.A. that will also lure Dante [Dominic Zamprogna] and Lulu [Julie Berman]," says Guza. "But he's pretty much involved with everybody. The extent of his reach will surprise you." And how. When GH fan favorite Vanessa Marcil makes her eagerly awaited return as Brendaon August 11, we'll find out even she has a connection to Franco!