Tom Cruise is seeking a high-profile star to play an alcoholic, womanising former US president in a new comedy: three-time Oscar winner Jack Nicholson.

Cruise wants Nicholson to play the title character in El Presidente, according to the Hollywood Reporter. In the film, which The Bourne Identity's Doug Liman is to direct, Cruise will play a straight-arrow US Secret Service agent assigned to protect the country's worst-ever former commander-in-chief. His charge was elevated from vice-president upon the death of his predecessor, and spent much of his time in office boozing and chasing women. In the screenplay, by British comedy writer Jesse Armstrong, Daniel J Goor and Paul Attanasio, the pair are forced to go on the run when an assassination attempt is made on the former president's life.

Nicholson recently denied reports he had retired from acting due to memory loss, despite not having appeared on the big screen since 2010, when he played the father of a business executive facing jail over alleged corporate malfeasance in the Reese Witherspoon and Paul Rudd romcom/drama How Do You Know. Nicholson's only other acting role in recent years has been 2007's The Bucket List.

"Contrary to opinion, however sated I got, I always looked after myself. I'm in good shape – a little stout, but healthy. I have a mathematician's brain," the 76-year-old actor told the Sun.

Nicholson however, hinted that audiences might no longer be interested in seeing the kind of films he wanted to make. "The movie business is the greatest business, but I only want to do films that move people, films about emotions and people," he said. "I had the most chilling thought that maybe people in their 20s and 30s don't actually want to be moved any more. They may want just to see more bombs, more explosions, because that is what they have grown up with. And I'll never do that type of movie."

Cruise and Liman reportedly visited Nicholson at his Hollywood Hills home to convince him to take the role. Cruise, who appeared with Nicholson in 1992's A Few Good Men, told his former co-star he would not do the film without him. It is not yet known if the charm offensive did the trick, but the Hollywood icon is said to have promised to at least read the script.

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