Phoenix to return to acting as DiCaprio’s lover?

Clint Eastwood reportedly wants Joaquin Phoenix to star alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Hoover, his upcoming biopic of the legendary FBI director.

According to Vulture, sources close to the project claim Eastwood wants Phoenix to star as the FBI’s associate director (and Hoover’s lover) Clyde Tolson.

DiCaprio has long been attached to star as J. Edgar Hoover, and Oscar winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk) recently confirmed that he is practically locked in (although nothing has been signed).

An offer will be extended to Phoenix once DiCaprio officially signs on. Should he take on the job, it would mark Phoenix’s first major film role since his fake-meltdown in 2008.

In an interview with Movieline, Black revealed that Hoover would begin shooting early 2011.

Discuss: Sound like a worthy “returning” project for Phoenix?