127 Hours star James Franco is in negotiations to star in The Game, the film adaptation of Neil Strauss' best-selling book about picking up women. The 33-year-old actor will play Mystery, a master of the art of seducing women, The Hollywood Reporter said. The film follows a community of pick-up artists, aka AFCs or Average Frustrated Chumps, who try to bed HBs (hot babes).

The guru of the group is Mystery, who dispenses advice on the art of seduction using the mantra FMAC: find, meet, attract, close.

The film will be directed by Brian Koppelman. Other actors are yet to be signed.

Franco will begin filming Jay and Seth vs the Apocalypse, which will be Seth Rogen's directorial debut, this spring.

He is also close to make a cameo as Playboy kingpin Hugh Hefner in Lovelace, a biopic about iconic porn star Linda Lovelace.