The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Warner Bros. has their eye on directors Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland), Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart) and José Padilha (Elite Squad) to direct Tales from the Gangster Squad.

Producers Dan Lin and Kevin McCormick are behind the project for Warner Bros., which we first reported on way back in 2008. The movie, which is based on a true story, will center on the influx of East Coast Mafia that flooded into Los Angeles in the 1940s and 1950s, which lead the Los Angeles Police Department to form a "Gangster Squad," which was solely responsible for trying to rid L.A. of these mobsters. Dan Lin once said the movie was a Los Angeles version of The Untouchables.

It doesn't seem that offers are out to any of these directors yet, although producers have met with all three candidates. We also reported in September that The Town director Ben Affleck had been offered the directing gig. It isn't clear if Ben Affleck has turned down the offer or if he's still in contention to direct.

Will Beall is adapting the screenplay from a 2008 series of articles in the Los Angeles Times, which were written by Paul Lieberman.