Madonna is poised for another shot at acting - the Queen of Pop is reportedly set to star as American socialite Wallis Simpson, the woman who almost tore the British Royal family apart in the 1930s.

The Holiday hitmaker's 1996 turn in the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita was well received by critics. Subsequent movies, including The Next Best Thing in 2000, and 2002's Swept Away, which was directed by then-husband Guy Ritchie, were panned.

But now the Material Girl is looking to reinvent her big-screen career by starring as Simpson. The beauty had an affair with Britain's King Edward VIII - and as a result he abdicated the throne to be with her in 1936, sparking a constitutional crisis in the U.K.

A source tells The Sun newspaper, "Madonna sees Wallis Simpson as her next big film project. She is as passionate about it as she was about playing Eva Peron in Evita. Madonna said she is fascinated about this American commoner who refused to conform or offer explanations for her tangled love life."

The source adds that Madonna plans to throw herself back into her career once her split from Ritchie is behind her: "It was all systems go until the divorce, when everything was put on the back-burner. When things in her life settle down this year, she's keen to get things going again." (CL/WNTSU/AV)

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