James Franco is in talks to play Michael Glatze, a former gay activist turned Christian devotee and “ex-gay”, in new biopic.

Gus Van Sant (who also worked with Franco on Milk) will produce the film about Michael Glatze. Founder of the publication, Young Gay America and co-author a book with his boyfriend of 10 years called XY Survival Guide, Glatze famously denounced homosexuality and publicly stated that he no longer identified as a gay man after having a health scare.

Franco has portrayed several gay men in the past, including Scott Smith in 2008’s Milk, Beat Generation writer Allen Ginsberg in 2010’s Howl. Last year, his “homo-sex-art-film”,  Interior. Leather Bar, debuted at Sundance Film Festival.

The project has no title as of yet, but shooting is scheduled to begin in New York this July.