Christian Bale is looking to get into the salvage consultancy business.

The Oscar winner is in early talks to headline The Deep Blue Good-by for Fox, Variety reports. An official offer is expected shortly, and if a deal goes through, Bale will play Travis McGee, a self-described "salvage consultant" who recovers clients' properties for a fee. McGee is the focus of a series of 21 novels written by John D. MacDonald, with the first book, The Deep Blue Good-by, published in 1964.

Director James Mangold is attached to helm the adaptation, which would reteam him and Bale for the first time since 3:10 to Yuma. Novelist and screenwriter Dennis Lehane wrote the script.