Robert Pattinson and Sean Penn in talks for "Water for Elephants"

By Siewaun
Reference: Variety

Robert Pattinson and Sean Penn are in negotiations to star alongside Reese Witherspoon in Fox 2000's Depression-era drama "Water for Elephants."

Francis Lawrence ("Constantine," "I Am Legend") will direct the movie from screenwriter Richard LaGravenese's adaptation of Sara Gruen's best-selling historical book of the same name.

The movie is about a 23 year old Cornell veterinary school student named Jacob Jankowski (presumably Pattinson) who drops out of his school after his parents were killed in a car accident and finds himself a veterinary job working for the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, a traveling circus. Witherspoon will star as Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August (Penn), the charismatic but twisted animal trainer.

Gil Netter, Erwin Stoff and Andrew Tennenbaum are producing the movie, which Fox 2000 is eyeing to start shooting in June.