Armie Hammer, the 24-year-old star of
The Social Network, is in talks to play opposite Leonardo
DiCaprio in the upcoming biopic of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover,
Entertainment Weekly's Dave
Karger reported.
Legendary actor-director Clint Eastwood
will direct the production and DiCaprio is confirmed to play the
lead.
The film, based on a script by Milk
scribe Dustin Lance Black and now titled J. Edgar, is set to
begin filming early next year.
Hammer is being pursued to play the
role of Clyde Tolson, Hoover's alleged lover. The two men worked
closely – Tolson landed the plum post of associate director after
only 3 years at the agency – and socialized together, but
vehemently denied claims they were in a romantic relationship.
Tolson inherited Hoover's estate and his grave rests yards from
Hoover's in the Congressional Cemetery.
Other evidence that Hoover was gay
includes the fact that many of his closest friends were closeted men.
Rumors that Hoover was a crossdresser persist to this day.