Dallas star Larry Hagman is convinced that Bruce Willis will be the best to portray the oil baron anti-hero JR EWING in a new film version of the era-defining soap opera.

"He has a great sense of humour, he's manly and he's had enough women in his life",Hadman says.

"Playing JR was like a license to steal", he added.

Among the big names rumored to have been contacted for the big-screen remake of the hugely successful TV series, which ran over 13 years from 1978 to 1991, are Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones and John Travolta.

Meanwhile, Bruce Willis is set to star in the Sin City sequel, and will also work on Die Hard 4.0