Ifans to play Howard Marks in 'Mr Nice'

Rhys Ifans is in talks to lead the cast of Bernard Rose's Mr Nice, an adaptation of drug smuggler Howard Marks's autobiography.

Marks graduated from Oxford in the late '60s and became a drug dealer to impress his wife. He was later recruited by British intelligence as an informant after he made contact with an IRA boss.

Under the alias of Mr Nice, Marks crossed paths with the Mafia and CIA and was responsible for smuggling more than 30 tonnes of cannabis.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chloe Sevigny and David Thewlis are also close to agreeing deals to join the cast, as Marks's wife and IRA contact respectively.