Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes at The New York Film Festival Premiere of 'Little Children' held at the Lincoln Center. New York City, USA - 30.09.06

Winslet, who has been married to the AMERICAN BEAUTY filmmaker for three years, has been interested in playing the role of 1920s circus tiger tamer MABEL STARK since 2003.

And now Mendes' company, Neal Street Productions, has bought the rights to adapt a fictionalised life of Stark by author ROBERT HOUGH.

The couple's spokeswoman SARA KEENE says, "It's a great story, they've had their eye on it for a while. If they can get the script right, it would make a great film."

However, the pair will be keen to avoid the same fate as other husband-and-wife projects, like GUY RITCHIE's SWEPT AWAY starring MADONNA, and RACHEL WEISZ's role in THE FOUNTAIN, directed by fiance DARREN ARONOFSKY - both of which were commercial failures.

Source: WENN