Weisz to play '40s movie icon Hedy Lamarr

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Rachel Weisz is eyeing the lead role in Face Value, an independent film about 1940s Hollywood actress Hedy Lamarr, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Austrian-born Lamarr, whose most famous role is in Cecil B. DeMille's Samson And Delilah, retired from acting in 1957 and went on to have a career as a pioneering scientist. She was involved in creating a method of changing frequencies, which helped pave the way for modern wireless communications.

Amy Redford, daughter of Robert, will direct the movie, which was at one point touted as a vehicle for Charlize Theron. Jose Rivera and Gretchen Somerfeld have penned the script for Face Value.

Weisz recently signed up for political drama The Whistleblower, in which she will play a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia.