Dev Patel is in talks to star in Cherry, it has been reported.

The Slumdog Millionaire star is tipped to take a major role in Stephen Elliott's drama, which sees James Franco as a cocaine-addicted lawyer, said Variety.

The Hangover star Heather Graham is also said to be eyeing the role of a former porn star-turned-director who takes an 18-year-old newcomer to the porn industry under her wing.

Production is set to begin in June in San Francisco, after James wraps up The Stare with Winona Ryder. He'll begin shooting Sam Raimi's Oz: The Great And Powerful in August.

Former Skins actor Dev, who shot to fame in Danny Boyle's 2008 film, is to appear in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, with Dame Judi Dench, Bill Nighy and Maggie Smith, before reprising his role as Anwar in the big-screen adaptation of Skins.