Franco, who starred in Milk and Spider-Man, has accepted a role in the film Howl, being produced by the independent studio, Werc Werk Works.
Howl tells the story of the obscenity trial of Allen Ginsberg for writing the poem (Howl) in the 1950s. Writer Lawrence Ferlinghetti was also arrested for republishing the poem.
The film will feature Ginsberg’s own words, drawn from interviews and journals, as a narration.
Filming is set to begin on March 16 in New York.
The project will be Franco’s first acting role since Milk, although he will be directing Red Leaves later this year.