Famed author Elmore Leonard says that Morgan Freeman is interested in starring in the film adaptation of his latest novel, Djibouti.

During an interview about his TV series Justified, Leonard said that Freeman and Sandra Bullock are being sought for roles in the adaptation. The project is being written by Speed screenwriter Graham Yost. “Morgan Freeman likes it a lot,” Leonard said. “In fact, I even thought of him while I was writing it."

"For the girl, [Morgan] wants Sandra Bullock,” Leonard continued. “And Graham Yost, who's the head writer on Justified, did a Sandra Bullock movie, Speed. He doesn't think that will help him any! But we want him; he'll be the screenwriter.”

Published in 2010, Djibouti focuses on a documentary filmmaker who teams up with a 72-year-old African-American seafarer to shoot footage of pirates hijacking merchant ships.

Other Leonard novels adapted for films include Get Shorty, Hombre and Out of Sight. The film Jackie Brown was based on his novel Rum Punch.

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