Galifianakis takes on a Dunce role

Zach Galifianakis could be starring in comedy drama A Confederacy Of Dunces.

The Hangover star is said to be attached to the film adaptation of John Kennedy Toole's posthumous Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, reported Vulture.

Flight Of The Conchords co-creator and The Muppets director James Bobin is in talks to bring the book to the big screen with producer Scott Rudin and Paramount Pictures.

Zach, best known for playing wacky Alan Garner in The Hangover films, is tipped to for the lead role of Ignatius J Reilly, a 30-something who lives at home with his mum as he decides to look for work.

Will Ferrell and Mos Def were previously linked to the role, while Drew Barrymore was looking to co-produce.

The film version of A Confederacy Of Dunces had long been in development, with an early script written in the late 90s and David Gordon Green attached to direct, but David told MTV in 2004: "There were too many cooks involved, too many producers [and] the egos of a lot of people."

Zach - who made a cameo appearance in The Muppets - next stars in The Candidate alongside Will Ferrell, before reprising his role in the third instalment of The Hangover.