Veteran Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis is recruiting Anthony Hopkins for his next project about Alexander the Great.

De Laurentiis is targeting Ridley Scott to direct the epic but revealed that the Welsh American citizen would only take a secondary role to an unknown young actor.

The producer was quoted in Italian newspaper La Repubblica, "I would like to have big stars in the secondary roles, and get an unknown actor to play the part of Alexander the Great."

Carlo Carlei will direct De Laurentiis' other project The Last Legion, about the last emperor Augustus.