Hugh Jackman is in talks to star in Lionsgate's adaptation of Homer's "The Odyssey," Variety reports.

Announced in April, the project involves key creative players from the studio's blockbuster "Hunger Games" franchise, with Francis Lawrence pegged to direct from a script by "Mockingjay" screenwriter Peter Craig. Nina Jacobson will produce.

A pillar of Western literature, the epic poem, believed to have been written in the late 8th century B.C., centers on the 10-year journey home of the Greek hero Odysseus following the fall of Troy.

Although Lionsgate hasn't set a release date for "The Odyssey," production is targeted to begin early next year.