Actor, writer, director, and artist – the polymathic James Franco keeps busy. Frustrated with the limitations of acting only, Franco has been developing his craft in other disciplines by studying directing, digital media, writing and English. The Broken Tower, a film he wrote, directed and stars in, based on the life and work of poet Hart Crane, releases this year. His installation “The Dangerous Book Four Boys” showed at the Clocktower Gallery in New York and Peres Projects in Berlin; “Unfinished,” a collaboration with Gus Van Sant at Gagosian Beverly Hills; and a collaborative group show he organized will show at MOCA in L.A. All on top of being an Oscar-nominated movie star. Franco stars in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which opens August 5.