Zayn Malik is reportedly in talks for a guest acting role in the boyband TV drama he's producing.

The former One Direction star has teamed up with Law & Order franchise boss Dick Wolf and his wife Noelle Wolf to develop Boys, a drama about a fictional boyband struggling to cope with the pressure of their meteoric rise to fame.

He signed a deal with NBC to serve as executive producer in September (16) but is now reportedly in talks with show bosses to cameo in a couple of episodes to showcase his acting skills.

“Zayn has started talks with his fellow producers about him appearing in a couple of episodes of Boys," a source told Britain's The Sun newspaper. “He is really keen to kick off his acting career and sees this as the perfect opportunity to do so, especially as he will have a lot of creative control."

The source adds the discussions are ongoing and Zayn could end up playing himself in the series if they can't find a character that works for him and fits his schedule.

“Either way he is taking his role as exec producer very seriously and sees this as a big stepping stone to working more on TV and film in the future," the insider said.

The Pillowtalk singer had previously told Elle magazine he studied acting in school but it stopped once he joined One Direction in 2010. However, he'd been "interested" in returning to the craft if the part was right.

When the project was announced, Zayn called Dick Wolf a "legend" and added the "opportunity to work with him and NBC to create a compelling drama series is awesome."

If Zayn did act in the show, he would be the second member of One Direction to explore acting after Harry Styles, who has a role in Christopher Nolan's upcoming war drama Dunkirk.