Oscar winner Matt Damon is in "early negotiations" to star in 20th Century Fox's "We Bought a Zoo," the actor's representation at WME confirmed to TheWrap.
Cameron Crowe is set to direct and rewrite Aline Brosh McKenna's screenplay, which is adapted from Benjamin Mee's memorable memoir.
Should Damon officially take the role, he'd play a man who moves his family to the English countryside to operate a dilapidated zoo.
Ben Stiller was previously rumored to be interested in the role.
Mee used his life savings to buy the zoo, and had to balance caring for his wife, who was dying of brain cancer, with the many responsibilities of renovating and reopening a zoo filled with 200 exotic animals, some of which were endangered.
The project strikes me as perfect for Damon, who has starred in one too many "serious" movies recently, including "Green Zone" and "Invictus," not to mention the Jason Bourne trilogy and a trio of dramas — "Syriana," "The Departed" and "The Good Shepherd."
Crowe hasn't directed a movie since 2005's woeful "Elizabethtown," but Mee's touching memoir fits right in his wheelhouse. The Oscar-winning filmmaker is also working on a Pearl Jam documentary, which could potentially be epic.
Damon next stars in a pair of thrillers — George Nolfi's "The Adjustment Bureau" and Clint Eastwood's "Hereafter." He also stars in the Coen brothers' "True Grit" this Christmas. The actor is currently preparing to shoot Steven Soderbergh's "Contagion" later this year.
Julie Yorn will produce the picture, which Fox plans to release on Dec. 23, 2011.
