Joel Edgerton tipped to replace Johnny Depp in Shantaram

Actor Joel Edgerton is in talks to replace Johnny Depp in the film adaptation of acclaimed book Shantaram.

Studio bosses at Warner Bros. paid $2 million to acquire the rights to the Gregory David Roberts novel in 2004 and Depp was originally tapped to play the lead role, a convicted Australian bank robber who escapes and flees to India.

The project was delayed in 2007 when the Pirates of the Caribbean star dropped out as the movie's star, but he has stayed on as a producer and has reportedly reached out to The Great Gatsby actor Edgerton personally to take over the part, according to Deadline.com.