We know, we know. It's been ages since Dev Patel played Anwar in Skins, but is it so bad we want him to stay a kid forever? Since then he's come to prominence in Slumdog Millionaire and even won a BAFTA for his performance in Lion, so it was only a matter of time before he started choosing grittier roles. But it's fair to say this new one still caught us a little off guard...

According to Deadline, Dev is currently in talks to star in a film about the origins of the Chippendales — those beefy male strippers who became all the rage in the 1980s, although thankfully (phew!) he won't be playing one of those.

Dev will play Somen "Steve" Banerjee, an immigrant from Mumbai, India, who hit the jackpot when he came up with the idea of turning his L.A. dive into a male strip club. Ben Stiller, meanwhile, will play Nick DeNoia, an Emmy award-winning producer who recruited the muscly, oiled and thong clad dancers, and ran the highly choreographed, touring fantasy show.

Behind the scenes, however, there was a lot more to the successful troupe of male strippers than meets the eye. In 1987, amid a succession of lawsuits and increasing paranoia, Banerjee paid a hit man to have DeNoia murdered.

The story is so dramatic it's been the subject of a numerous films. Lost's Naveen Andrews played Banerjee in 2000 film The Chippendales Murder, and Bollywood megastar Salman Khan is currently producing a rags-to-riches biopic of the businessman.

Chippendales will be the latest to depict the origins of what is still a successful touring enterprise, and has been two decades in the making, with various directors linked to the project including Oliver Stone, Tony Scott, Barry Sonnenfeld, and David Michod.

Given its subject matter, it's been described as "Magic Mike meets Scarface," with a dash of Boogie Nights for good measure. In other words, it's quite a departure from some of Dev's recent, more feel-good films.

Aww. It's so tough when they grow up and move on in the world, isn't it?

Can you picture Dev in this latest role?