Vulture reports that actress Carey Mulligan is now the front-runner to play Daisy in The Great Gatsby.

We reported last week that director Baz Luhrmann is looking at several different actresses to play Daisy, including Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson and several others, although Carey Mulligan's name wasn't included on that original list.

Scarlett Johansson was a top contender, auditioning for the part in New York last week. However, since she committed to the Cameron Crowe movie We Bought a Zoo, she won't be available for The Great Gatsby, which led to Carey Mulligan becoming the current top choice to play Daisy. We Bought a Zoo is scheduled to start shooting in the late spring of 2011, while The Great Gatsby will go before cameras in the summer.

Carey Mulligan hasn't been offered the part yet. We'll keep you posted with any casting news on The Great Gatsby as soon as that information is available.