Virginia Madsen ("Sideways", "Firewall") is in negotiations to play Jim Carrey's wife in "The Number 23," New Line Cinema's psychological thriller being directed by Joel Schumacher reports Reuters.

Elizabeth Shue had been cast in the wife role in November but recently stepped down when she learned she was pregnant. The studio had been in talks with Nicole Kidman, but a deal was never reached because of scheduling conflicts.

In the film, written by Fernley Phillips, Carrey comes across an obscure book titled "The Number 23." As he reads it, he becomes increasingly convinced that the book is based on his own life. His obsession with the number 23 starts to consume him to the point that he soon realizes that the book forecasts far graver consequences for his life than he could ever have imagined.

Rhona Mitra and Danny Huston have also joined the film. The movie begins shooting Monday in Los Angeles.