Bradley Cooper is in talks to star in Clint Eastwood's forthcoming crime drama 'The Mule', as announced just three years after their collaboration on the latter's last film. Given the success of 'American Sniper', there's no doubt that a reunion will be a guaranteed commercial hit.

Bradley Cooper at CinemaconBradley Cooper at Cinemacon

The 43-year-old actor is thought to be playing the character Colin Bates - a DEA agent - in the forthcoming movie, which features director Clint Eastwood as lead star Earl Stone. Meanwhile, the script has been written by the award-winning Nick Schenk, of 'Gran Torino' fame.

'The Mule' is about an elderly man - ex-soldier and renowned gardener - who teams up with a Mexican drug ring to transport $3 million worth of cocaine across Michigan. 

It's based on a true story, adapted from a New York Times article by Sam Dolnick which documented the adventues of one 90-year-old Leo Sharp (namaed Earl Stone in the movie). Despite eventually getting busted by the DEA, he would go on to serve only three years in prison, with his lawyer arguing diminished responsibility because of his dementia.

Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper is a pairing that has already earned a number of Academy Award nominations with 2014's 'American Sniper'; a film that won the Oscar for Sound Editing but lost the Best Picture award to 'Birdman'. 

Whether or not Bradley has the time to shoot 'The Mule' is another matter. He's just completed the musical drama 'A Star Is Born' with Lady Gaga, but he is set to start shooting ocean thriller 'Deeper', war drama 'Atlantic Wall' and the Leonard Bernstein biopic (which he is also directing) imminently. 

More: Read our review of 'American Sniper'

While Clint hasn't acted in a movie since 'American Sniper', he did direct 2016's 'Sully' starring Tom Hanks and this year's 'The 15:17 to Paris' which came out in February. Now, all he's got scheduled is 'The Mule', so shooting time could be quick enough for Bradley Cooper to fit it in his own schedule.