Jake Gyllenhaal wanted for Nat Faxon and Jim Rash's The Way, Way Back

Hollywood leading man Jake Gyllenhaal who last appeared in Source Code is being tipped for the lead role in The Descendants writers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash's The Way, Way Back.

Originally written in 2007, the film has been through a few directors namely Alexander Payne and Tom Bezucha before Faxon and Rash took the directors chair for themselves.

In the bittersweet and whimsical tale, the story follows a teenage boy over the course of a summer, during which he develops a friendship that helps him to stand up to his bullying stepfather.

Faxon and Rash are probably better known for their day jobs as actors, Faxon was last seen in Zookeeper as Dave while Rash last appeared in the television series Community as Dean Pelton.

The pair did great work translating Kaui Hart Hemmings' novel The Descendants to the screen and it's hoped they'll do the same with their original story.

As for Gyllenhaal, he'll next be seen in David Ayer's crime drama End of Watch as Officer Taylor alongside Anna Kendrick and Michael Peña which is due in cinemas next year.

Jake Gyllenhaal Photos