James Franco to teach a USC film production class next spring

The registrar’s office at the University of Southern California is about to get very busy.

James Franco, the actor-Oscar-host-soap-star-artist-poet-novelist, is set to teach a film production class at USC next spring, according to an email sent to USC film students from the School of Cinematic Arts. The class, which will be co-taught by Franco’s business partner Vince Jolivette, will require students to direct a short film of no more than 10 minutes. Eventually, the eight total shorts produced will be combined into one longer film.

The movies created in the class -- referred to as “The Labyrinth” -- are meant to explore “the unknown, the unexplained and the unimaginable,” the email said. Franco’s publicist did not return a request for comment.

The actor is no stranger to academia. The 34-year-old has attended various institutes of higher learning, including Yale University, Columbia University and New York University. At NYU, he taught a class about turning poetry into film.

There may be one hiccup in Franco’s teaching schedule, however: His next film, “Oz: The Great and Powerful,” is set to hit theaters in March. That means he’ll likely be busy promoting his role as the Wizard for at least a couple of weeks during the spring. But, hey: Maybe his students can persuade him to give them tickets to the premiere in exchange for any absence?

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