According to a bunch of online gossip sites - assumingly originating from that same source, a news wire - Pierce Brosnan is keen to cast Charlize Theron as his leading lady in the upcoming "Thomas Crown Affair" sequel, "Topkapi".

Angelina Jolie was previously rumoured to have captured Brosnan's interest.

"Charlize Theron is someone who I've always admired. I think she's someone who has acquitted herself grandly,” Brosnan said. "Nothing against Angelina Jolie. I think she's a magnificent actress. But Charlize has a poise about her and has an inner strength and femininity which I really like to watch."

The new film is a remake of an old Peter Ustinov crime caper.

Brosnan told Moviehole a little bit about his plans for it when we interviewed him a year or so back for "The Matador".

"(Topkapi) is much loved by people who love that genre of film, and it has a sentimental resonance to it. "So we just took Thomas Crown off the shelf, kind of dusted it off, and took Topkapi, which is much loved, and is also in the cannon of the MGM library, so it didn't cost us anything. "This version of Topkapi will have a different part, different woman, and different affair... and we're using wonderful locations."

Can't say I'm terribly excited about the sequel as a whole... "Thomas Crown Affair" was worth watching for only two small reasons... and they both belong to Rene Russo... but you never know, this might turn out OK.