James Franco in talks to star as superhero Multiple Man in new movie

James Franco is close to signing on to play superhero Multiple Man in a new movie, according to reports.

The 127 Hours star will also produce the project alongside Simon Kinberg, while Wonder Woman writer Allan Heinberg is currently working on the script.

Multiple Man, aka Jamie Madrox, has the ability to clone himself. The character was first introduced as a comic book character in 1975 and he has been previously portrayed on the big screen by Eric Dane in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand, which was written by Kinberg.

Franco is no stranger to the superhero world - he previously played Harry Osborn in three Spider-Man films.

If Franco signs on to the movie, it will serve as a reunion for him and Kinberg, who he is also working with on The Hardy Men. The movie is currently in development and will potentially feature James and his brother Dave Franco as grown-up versions of the teenage detectives.

Bosses at 20th Century Fox are ramping up the studio's X-Men films and currently have several superhero films in the works. New Mutants, Deadpool 2, and X-Men: Dark Phoenix are set to be released next year (18), while Channing Tatum's long-awaited Gambit film will hit theaters in 2019. And Logan filmmaker James Mangold is developing a spin-off centring on the film's young breakout character Laura, played by Dafne Keen, and he is happy he can bring a female protagonist into the X-Men universe.

"Patty Jenkins' success with (Wonder Woman) only solidifies more for studios that there's less to fear with a female protagonist," the filmmaker told The Hollywood Reporter. "The more that keeps getting hit home, that ends up giving me more space turning around and going, 'Well, here we are with a female protagonist. That's incredible. And what are we going to do with her?' And that's where we are with that (the X-23 script) right now, dreaming."