Bruni to star in Allen film?

Woody Allen has given French First Lady Carla Bruni a starring role in his next film, according to reports.

Bruni - who married Nicolas Sarkozy shortly after he became French president in 2007 - is believed to have accepted the offer from the US director to appear in an as-yet-untitled movie he is planning to make next year.

Allen stated last year he would offer Bruni "any role she liked" in one of his films.

He said: "I would like to work with Carla Bruni. I'm sure she would be wonderful. She has charisma and she performs, so she's not unknown to an audience, and I would cast her in many different ways.

"She is an accomplished artist, she is very beautiful and I am sure she would have a gift for comedy.

"I can assure people it would cause no problems with President Sarkozy, or with the image of France."

Bruni, 41 - whose sister Valeria and mother Marysa are both experienced actresses - has only ever held a few small film roles in the past, most notably in Robert Altman's 1994 satire 'Pret-a-Porter'.

Woody's latest, also untitled, project is currently filming in London and stars 'Slumdog Millionaire' star Freida Pinto, Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas and Naomi Watts.