Oscar nominee Samantha Morton and Oscar winner Chris Cooper are in negotiations to star in an untitled Truman Capote feature, which United Artists is coming on board to co-finance and distribute.

Philip Seymour Hoffman is set to play Capote in the feature based on the book "Capote: A Biography" by Gerald Clarke. The film concentrates on the period when Capote was writing "In Cold Blood," his so-called "nonfiction novel" about the murder of a Kansas family, which was published in 1965.

In related Capote news, Mark Wahlberg has dropped out of "Every Word Is True," a rival Capote project about the same period that is set up at Warner Independent Pictures. Wahlberg was to play Perry Smith, one of the killers whose story is recounted in "In Cold Blood."

The UA Capote project is to be directed by Bennett Miller from a screenplay by Dan Futterman. It highlights Capote's relationship with Smith. Morton would play Capote's friend, "To Kill a Mockingbird" novelist Harper Lee, while Cooper would play the investigator in the "In Cold Blood" crime. Filming is scheduled to start in the fall.

"Truman Capote was a fascinating literary personality," UA head Danny Rosett said. "Philip is one of the most talented actors working in the business today, and he's uniquely suited to bring Capote to life. It's a truly captivating project, and we're thrilled to be working with the filmmakers to help bring it to the screen."

Caroline Baron of Baron Pictures and William Vince and Michael Ohoven of Infinity Media Inc. are producing; Infinity is co-financing the film with UA. Hoffman, through his newly formed production company Cooper's Town Prods., will executive produce along with Futterman.

The WIP project is being produced by Killer Films and will be directed by Doug McGrath.

Morton is repped by CAA and Conway Van Gelder in the United Kingdom, while Cooper is repped by Paradigm.