Online Gambling Film Starring Bruce Willis

Bruce Willis is set to star in a film based on the rise of online gambling in the late 1990s, and other Hollywood stars appear likely to join him, entertainment news sites are reporting.

Director Steven Frears has said that filming will begin in April if either Catherine Zeta-Jones or Justin Timberlake sign up for the film, which will be based on Beth Raymer's memoirs, "Lay the Favorite."

Zeta-Jones is being considered for the part of Raymer herself, who as a cocktail waitress became involved with a group of online sports betting enthusiasts.

Willis has already been confirmed to portray an unlucky gambler named Dink, while Timberlake has been marked for the role of the Long Island-based head of an online sportsbook.

If the film goes ahead, it will join a long list of movies based on the popular gambling industry, from classics like the 1970s Paul Newman hit The Sting to more recent examples like James Bond and the game of baccarat in the 2006 hit Casino Royale.

Being a more recent phenomenon, online gambling itself has taken longer to hit the screens, taking a backseat up till now to movies on casino blackjack (21) and poker variants (Rounders; Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels).

Sports betting most famously featured in the 1995 Scorsese film Casino, in which Robert DeNiro played Chicago bookmaker Sam "Ace" Rothstein.