Announced back in April, Guillermo del Toro is not just producing but also directing the upcoming thriller Nightmare Alley for Fox Searchlight, which originally had Leonardo DiCaprio in talks to star. But Variety is now reporting today that Bradley Cooper is currently in talks to replace DiCaprio; we do know for sure that DiCaprio has passed on the project.

Variety notes, “Sources say Cooper recently received an offer and while it’s currently unclear if a deal will close, sources indicate both sides have engaged in talks.”

Del Toro co-wrote the script with Kim Morgan.

The film is based on the 1947 movie about a corrupt con-man who teams up with a female psychiatrist to trick people into giving them money.

Like the original, it’s based on the novel by William Lindsay Gresham.

J. Miles Dale is producing alongside del Toro.