James Franco signed on to play Allen Ginsberg in Howl well before anyone had seen Milk, and I'm wondering if he's now coming to regret it. Because now that Werc Werk Works, an indie production company, has agreed to finance the film, the "What was it like playing gay, James?" questions will really never cease.

Howl promises to be a pretty different outing than Milk was, given that it will focus on the obscenity trial over Ginsberg's poem of the same name. Animated sequences will reimagine sections of the poem, which make it all the less likely we'll see Franco rolling in the hay with another man again.

Variety notes that filming starts next month in New York, which presumably means Franco will continue earning his half-a-dozen masters degrees in the area. The "gay" question aside-- a worthless and insulting one if there ever was one-- Ginsberg is a great role for Franco, a fascinating historical figure who will presumably help him stretch his talent even further. He had a great year in 2008, and if he keeps taking roles like this one, the years will only get better as they go along.