The Hugh Hefner biopic is moving forward once again.  Universal and Imagine Entertainment initially set up a film about the Playboy founder a few years ago and even approached Robert Downey Jr. and Hugh Jackman about playing the title role, but the film never coalesced and Universal subsequently put it into turnaround.  The project is now taking hold at Warner Bros., where Variety reports that Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin is in talks to take the helm with Peter Morgan (Rush, Frost/Nixon) penning the screenplay.  Hit the jump for more.

david-dobkin-hugh-hefner-movie

Per Variety, Jerry Weintraub is onboard to produce the untitled Hugh Hefner biopic with Dobkin in talks to direct.  The pic is said to blend both dramatic and comedic elements, which should play to Dobkin’s strengths.  The filmmaker’s most recent release was the 2011 comedy The Change-Up, but he’s become a bit of a favorite at Warner Bros. as of late.  He was in line to direct the large-scale fantasy epic Arthur & Lancelot at the studio with Kit Harington and Joel Kinnaman in the lead roles, but the plug was subsequently pulled over budget concerns.

There seems to be no bad blood between Dobkin and WB, though, as he moved right into directing the WB dramedy The Judge starring Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall, which completed production earlier this year.  That film is much more dramatic than Dobkin’s previous work, and could very well be what put him in line for the Hugh Hefner gig.  The Judge doesn’t open until next October, but clearly Warner Bros. likes what it’s seeing.