AceShowbiz -

James Franco will play a real-life controversial figure in his next film. According to Page Six, the Hugh Hefner of "Lovelace" is tapped to play former-gay advocate, Michael Glatze, in a movie produced by Gus Van Sant. It will start shooting in New York in July.

Glatze founded Young Gay America (YGA) magazine. He also made a documentary film, "Jim in Bold", to tackle gay teen suicide. Considered as one of the leaders in LGBT community, he caused a buzz when publicly denouncing homosexuality and becoming a fundamentalist Christian.

"We cannot see the truth when we're blinded by homosexuality," he wrote in 2007 for conservative news site WND. "We believe, under the influence of homosexuality, that lust is not just acceptable, but a virtue. But there is no homosexual 'desire' that is apart from lust."

Franco previously worked with Van Sant in 2008's "Milk". The actor played gay rights activist, Scott Smith, the love interest to Sean Penn's Harvey Milk, while Van Sant served behind the lens. Franco also played gay poet, Allen Ginsberg, in 2010's "Howl".

"It's not like it's my mission to tell the stories of as many gay men as possible, although in some cases, I think it is the point," the actor told The Daily Beast. "I guess that a lot of the figures that I love were gay."