The rumors of Robert Downey Jr. portraying Playboy founder Hugh Hefner are becoming more and more substantial.

Director Brett Ratner recently told Entertainment Weekly that he really wants the actor in the role; he says he's met with and wants the Iron Man star to portray Hugh Hefner in Ratner's planned biopic, tentatively titled Playboy.

"Robert Downey Jr. agreed to do it based on the script," the director said. "We're gonna hand him the script very shortly. He loves the character and the role and we've been meeting with him on it. So, if he wants to do it, we're excited to have him."

Ratner added: "We wanted him before Iron Man, so we were ahead of the curve."