
Daniel Craig might be putting on the Stetson left behind by Robert Downey Jr. in DreamWorks' "Cowboys and Aliens," being directed by Jon Favreau.
While in the very early stages, Craig is in talks and has the offer to play a gunslinger in the sci-fi Western, which explores what would happen if the traditional Old West enemies -- cowboys and Native Americans -- found the prairie attacked by aliens in mid-1800s Arizona. The gunslinger named Jake is the one who leads the human revolt. Whether Craig dons an American accent for the part remains to be seen
Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are producing and wrote the script with "Lost" co-creator Damon Lindelof. Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are also producing.
DreamWorks is intent on shooting the film this year with an eye toward a 2011 release, and Downey dropped out last week due to scheduling issues. Among his offerings are potential sequels to "Sherlock Holmes" and a third "Iron Man" movie.
DreamWorks has a soft spot for the CAA-repped Craig. The actor starred in Steven Spielberg's "Munich" and plays a pirate in "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn," which Spielberg directed.
