AceShowbiz -

Early buzz on the casting lineup for "Playboy" appears to have taken flight by now as UK's The Guardian has come up with an interesting notion saying Leonardo DiCaprio is involved in talks to portray the lead role in the project, none other than Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner.

"Leo thinks it would make a great movie and Hugh would love Leo to do it -- on the condition that Hugh is alive to see it," an unnamed source informed the paper.

Pic has already had "Rush Hour" helmer Brett Ratner onboard to direct based on script written by John Hoffman with Brian Grazer producing for Universal Pictures. Ratner was noted to be pretty enthusiastic about the flick, stating he intends to present important events happening in Hefner's life "from the First Amendment struggles to his first orgy to the stroke in the 1980s that almost killed him."