Shortly after reporting that Skins lead Kaya Scodelario has replaced The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo star Rooney Mara in the upcoming indie drama Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes, we’re able to bring you news on another actress close to signing a deal to appear alongside her.

Variety says Jessica Biel is in “final negotiations” to join writer-director Francesca Gregorini's film, a heartwrenching story (on the surface, at least) about Emanuel (Scodelario), a teenager hired by her troubled neighbor to babysit her “daughter,” which turns out to be a doll. The teen goes along with the woman’s delusion, primarily because the neighbor closely resembles Emanuel’s deceased mom. Talk about a sticky wicket.

Biel would play the neighbor, Linda, giving the beautiful actress her meatiest role since 2006’s Home of the Brave. Lately, Biel has bene coasting in cute and cuddly ensemble comedies from Garry Marshall, or slumming as the eye-candy in an Adam Sandler comedy. She’s certainly capable of much more, and Fishes could be the project that reminds people of that fact.

Gregorini, meanwhile, was expected to reunite with his Tanner Hall star Mara, though she had to bail on the production when the shoot schedule was pushed from the summer of 2011 to the beginning of 2012. Now we’re all able to speculate that Mara is keeping her calendar clear so she can begin working on The Girl Who Played With Fire if Fincher’s first installment in the Stieg Larsson trilogy takes off over the holiday season. Speculation, of course, but always fun.