Report: Lohan to play Linda Lovelace

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LOS ANGELES, May 5 (UPI) -- Producer Wali Razaqi says U.S. actress Lindsay Lohan has been cast as 1970s porn star Linda Lovelace in the upcoming film "Inferno."

Razaqi told the Los Angeles Times an official announcement about the casting coup for the fact-based independent drama will be made at the next Cannes Film Festival in France.

"We've all thought that Lindsay would be a great choice for a while now, and we're all convinced that she is going to do it," Razaqi told the Times. "For at least a year, the director (Matthew Wilder) and I have gone back and forth imagining how awesome of a performance she could give if she was in the movie. ...

"I would say it's probably one of the most challenging roles any actor could play -- and not because of the sexual content, necessarily -- but more because she was so battered and beat up emotionally, that I think it's gonna take everything Lindsay has to really be able to pull it off," Razaqi added. "Not that Lindsay's life is similar in any way -- but she's been through a lot of ups and downs. A lot of times you're loved and then you're hated, and I think she can relate to those emotions and feelings. One week she's the 'it' girl, and the next, she's the 'what are you doing?' girl."

Bill Pullman also is attached to play Hugh Hefner in the movie, Razaqi said.

Lohan, 23, is best known for her work in the films "The Parent Trap," "Freaky Friday" and "Mean Girls." Her career has been overshadowed in recent years, however, as she has battled substance-abuse issues. Her last major big-screen role was in 2007's critically panned thriller "I Know Who Killed Me."