James Franco (ex-Franco, GH), who has been trying to make a comeback of sorts, is now starring in Love, Lies and Frank, a new vertical drama for Shortical. Love Lies and Frank is among the first microdramas produced under the new SAG-AFTRA agreement verticals agreement.

The two-time Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner, and former General Hospital guest star is sharing the vertical screen with mainstay microdrama stars, Eric Guilmette and Neela Jolene.

In story, Love, Lies and Frank follows Jimmy Frank (Franco), the CEO of a high-powered ad agency. A man with confidence and humor but marred with risk and unresolved consequence, Jimmy navigates running his company while also dealing with criminal and supernatural underworld threats. Meanwhile, one of Jimmy’s ambitious employees, Daniella Hanson (Jolene), lands her dream campaign and reignites a forbidden romance with her eccentric boss’s stepbrother Cameron Frank (Guilmette), forcing her to choose between the career she’s fought for and the love she’s been hiding.

Photo: Shortical

JAMES FRANCO HEADLINES A MICRODRAMA

Guy Shimoni, CEO of Shortical said of adding James Franco to the cast, “Hollywood is beginning to embrace vertical storytelling in a meaningful way. To see a talent like James Franco headlining an original microdrama is an important milestone for the industry. We at Shortical are proud to be setting the standard by bringing world-class talent, filmmakers, and stories to audiences in an entirely new way, proving that premium entertainment can thrive in a mobile-first world.”

Love, Lies & Frank is directed by Eric Wang Schwager, written by Melissa Lynn Moore and produced by Knockout Shorts with Peter Gold of Gold Films. No AI generated performances or digital replicas were used in the production, which has been a recent move by several vertical short companies.

Matthew Ko, Co-Founder and CEO of Knockout Shorts added, Love, Lies & Frank was a really fun collision of worlds. It gave us the opportunity to play with the conventions of the genre, and subvert them just enough without losing sight of what audiences already love about these stories. The goal was always to make something that felt both familiar and completely unexpected.”

Photo: ABC

THE ARTIST KNOWN AS FRANCO ON GENERAL HOSPITAL

General Hospital fans will recall it was back in 2009, that James Franco, played the artist known as “Franco” who was fixated on death and became a main villain of the show and nemesis to Jason Morgan (Steve Burton). At the time, James Franco explained about his GH alter-ego. “Franco works in a lot of different ways. He does graffiti, performances, photographs. He creates installations based on murder scenes featuring murders he possibly was involved with. He’s interested in pushing the boundaries of art – both aesthetically and ethically – and he will go way too far.”

James played “Franco” for a few runs on the soap opera from 2009-2010 and again for stint from the fall of 2011 to early 2012. Later in 2013, the role of Franco was recast with Roger Howarth playing the role until 2021.

The last several years have been difficult for James Franco to find work in Hollywood, following a 2019 sexual misconduct scandal and abuse of power allegations of inappropriate behavior towards aspiring actresses at his now-defunct acting school, Studio 4. Franco settled a lawsuit for $2.2 million in 2021, later admitting he slept with students and addressing issues surrounding power imbalances. The actor maintained he did not open his acting school to lure women for sexual advances. Since the scandal broke in 2019, James has only appeared in five films and mostly from international distributors.

Love, Lies & Frank is now available exclusively on Shortical here.

So, what do you think of James Franco starring in a microdrama? Did you enjoy him as General Hospital’s OG Franco? Let us know via the comment section below.

Days of Our Lives continues to be all over pop culture in 2026 with A-list celebrities who have shared their love of the long-running soap opera set to turn 61 this November.

First came word of Ryan Gosling’s admiration of Deidre Hall (Marlena) and his love for the show. Next, came ‘Last Week Tonight’ host, John Oliver’s desire to visit Salem, which came to fruition, and now Hall, the iconic star of the series, has invited Oscar winner, Julia Roberts to do a guest stint on the soap, too.

Roberts had been a known fan of Days of Our Lives for decades. During Monday’s Backlot Pass Day, which showcased upcoming original television and streaming line-ups for NBC and Peacock, Hall walked the carpet to talk to reporters.

Photo: JPI

When she spoke with PauseRewind, Hall shared what other celebrity she would like to see show up in Salem, “You know, Julia Roberts is a very big fan,” recalled Hall. “I think she must have some downtime somewhere. So, Julia, come on by, babe.’

Hall, who is celebrating this year her 50th year as Dr. Marlena Evans, added that she has met Roberts several times at award shows. “She was just sort of gobstruck, (and it) wasn’t about me, it was the show. ‘The people sitting behind me are from my show.’ She was so cute,” added Hall.

RYAN GOSLING UPDATE

In addition, Deidre offered an update on her collab with Ryan Gosling, where fans everywhere are hoping to see scenes with Marlena and a character written for Gosling. He ‘has yet to come,’ acknowledged Hall.

As for John Oliver, who this week can seen on three episodes of Days of Our Lives (August 11, 12 and 14), Hall said of meeting him at the DAYS set, “I was there for John Oliver. He is so adorable and easy to work with. He’s thrilled to be there, part of the gang. There was no hesitation, just a dream to have him there because we appreciate his comedy and his history.”

Photo: JPI

A MARLENA STORYLINE YET TO BE TOLD

Deidre also spoke on storylines she had yet to do over five decades, since she has played almost everything imaginable, including being possessed by the devil twice in a lifetime! “Marlena has not been disabled, and 50 years you’d think at some point she would have fallen out a flight of stairs, or lost her hearing, or lost her sight, or something,” expressed Hall.

“I have thought at some point it would be interesting if Marlena had a patient who was hearing impaired, and the audience got to see what that looks like. Sign language is a beautiful, beautiful thing, and it would be interesting for them to see it,” added Deidre.

As it turns out, Deidre learned sign language along with her sister, Andrea (ex-Samantha and Hattie, DAYS) when her twin sister welcomed a young deaf student in her class (Andrea is a special education teacher) and had to quickly learn the language to better accommodate her needs.

So, would you like to see Julia Roberts next up on the growing list of celebrities to make their way to Salem? If so, who should she play? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

For just under 24 hours, fans of ABC’s General Hospital took to social media and, for the most part, were unhappy to see that character of Jacinda Bracken written off the soap opera on the Tuesday, August 11 episode.

The story turn marked the end of the latest run of Paige Herschell who had initially joined the show back in April of 2025.  Many viewers liked the romance between Michael Corinthos (Rory Gibson) and the often down on her luck former escort.

However now, the beginnings of their love story was aborted, as previously reported, in a story-line dictated move, after Michael learned Jacinda drugged Willow’s (Katelyn MacMullen) iced coffee, while his ex-wife was with his children, Amelia and Wiley.

Courtesy/ABC

In Herschell’s final scenes, Michael tells her that Willow is going to come after him for full custody of his children after Jacinda’s actions, and he cannot lose his kids. He informs her he has to break-up with her, and he set up a bank account for her, so she can start a new life anywhere in the world. They shared a tearful goodbye. From the looks of it, GH may be heading back to a Michael and Willow reconciliation. Time will tell.

PAIGE HERSCHELL OPEN TO A RETURN AS JACINDA

After her final episode aired, Paige Herschell took to her Instagram story, and shared these heartfelt words: “Thank you General Hospital for giving me Jacinda. I’ve loved every moment with her, on stage and off. And thank you to the fns for your sweet messages and encouragement. I’m overwhelmed with your kindness. I’ve loved sharing this journey with you all.”

In closing, Paige left the door open, that she would definitely be interested to return down the line to GH as Jacinda. Herschell expressed, “If you need me … I’ll be in the character closet.”

With Jacinda, you never know when she might show up. She has come and gone from the Port Charles canvas before, and she may prove be useful a character to come back and seek revenge or extort money from Michael or someone else down the line.

General Hospital had been making a lot of moves in front of the camera recently with several new cast additions and several exits. Who might be coming or leaving next? Stay tuned.

So, what did you think of Paige’s heartfelt goodbye? Did you get emotional watching Jacinda lose the man she loved, and once again finding herself down on her luck and feeling less than? Let us know via the comment section.