The increasingly inseparable duo that is Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio are looking to join forces on a new project - and they are bringing screenwriter William Monahan (The Departed) along for the ride.

Reports are in that the trio of talents could work together on The Gambler, a remake of the 1974 film starring James Caan (who snagged a Golden Globe nod for his efforts).

Deadline says that Monahan is set to handle scripting duties and will fashion the Gambler remake as a directing vehicle with Scorsese in mind. DiCaprio is currently attached to headline the flick, which could end up being his fifth (and almost certainly not final) collaboration with Scorsese.

The original Gambler featured Caan as Alex Freed, a New York University literature professor who suffers from a serious gambling addiction. A man obsessed with always betting on the long shot, Freed ends up borrowing money from virtually everyone around him, including his girlfriend, mother - and, eventually, the mob. Matters take a turn for the worst when Freed's debt towards a gang of especially dangerous Mafia types spirals out of control and forces him to take desperate measures, in the hopes of salvaging the situation.

Based on that description alone, you can already see the similarities between The Gambler and many previous Scorsese films - including the self-destructive protagonist archetype, Mafia-oriented storyline, and the overall dour and gritty tone. Suffice it to say, the project sounds like it would be an excellent fit for the legendary filmmaker's sensibilities.

Both DiCaprio and Scorsese have very busy schedules right now, so it's not clear when exactly The Gambler might happen. The former is currently working on Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby and will move on to Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained shortly thereafter. Scorsese, by comparison, is slated to helm Silence next, but could join forces with DiCaprio in the near future - seeing how the two are still attached to work on the Wolf of Wall Street adaptation together.

Scorsese also has plans to helm The Irishman with Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci at some point - not to mention, the prevailing rumors about him eventually directing a Frank Sinatra biopic - which only makes it all the more difficult to say which film he will reunite with DiCaprio on first.

We will keep you posted on the status of The Gambler as more information is released.

Source: Deadline