Hugh Grant’s Hornby Lead?

After several months of unsuccessfully courting Hollywood actors like Brad Pitt, Robert de Niro seems set to sign up Hugh Grant for the lead role in de Niro's production of the Nick Hornby novel About A Boy. A report published in the Telegraph that the two are 'close to a deal' will please fans of Hornby who were, to a man, upset by the Americanisation of the author's last novel High Fidelity, which was optioned by John Cusack. The role of Will Lightman seems perfect for Hugh - he's a thirty-something, child/man, commitment-phobe whose search for the right woman leads him to adopt a child (a scheme which bears some resemblance to Adam Sandler's recent hit Big Daddy. We'll keep you posted...