Actress Penélope Cruz is eyeing a key role in director Ridley Scott's The Counselor. An official offer hasn't been made yet, although one is expected very soon.

The cast is coming together quite nicely (and quickly), with Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, and the actress' husband, Javier Bardem, all locked in.

The story follows a down and out lawyer (Michael Fassbender) in a Mexican border town, who tries his hand in the drug trade when he has cash flow issues. The attorney teams up with a wealthy acquaintance (Javier Bardem) and a shady buisnessman (Brad Pitt) to get their cocaine trafficking enterprise off the ground.

If a deal is finalized, Penélope Cruz will play the lawyer's love interest.

We reported last week that Angelina Jolie was being considered for the role, although it is believed she probably couldn't make the shoot, since she starts filming Maleficent in June, which is when The Counselor begins production.

Ridley Scott is directing from an original screenplay by No Country for Old Men author Cormac McCarthy, which is described as violent, racy, and dialogue-heavy.