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Tom Hiddleston could be warming up for a lead role in Winter's Tale.
The Thor star is said to be in the running to star in Akiva Goldsman's directorial debut, which is based on Mark Helprin's 1983 novel, said The Hollywood Reporter.
Tom - who played Loki in Kenneth Branagh's superhero caper and next stars opposite Rachel Weisz in The Deep Blue Sea - and Benjamin Hunter are fighting it out to play orphan Peter Lake, who changes the world by sacrificing his life for a child.
Elizabeth Olsen, Bella Heathcote, Gabriele Wilde and Sarah Gadon are rumoured to be auditioning for the part of Beverly Penn, a "visionary" who protects Peter.
Russell Crowe, who starred in A Beautiful Mind and Cinderella Man which Akiva wrote, could be circling the villainous role of Pearly Soames, a leader of a criminal gang called The Short Tails.
Winter's Tale is a passion project for screenwriter-turned-director Akiva, who has been trying to develop the film since 2009.
