According to Deadline, Hiddleston did discuss the part with the film's producers, although reports that he was close to signing on the dotted line were greatly exaggerated. However, Relativity and director F. Javier Gutiérrez (Before the Fall) are said to be very keen on Swedish actor Skarsgard (who happens to be the son of Hiddleston's Thor and The Avengers co-star Stellan Skarsgard), and while no formal offer has been made it's said that the role is his "if he wants it."
Skarsgard has been juggling his work on the hit vampire series True Blood with several film projects over the past couple of years, having appeared on the big screen in the likes of Straw Dogs, Melancholia and Battleship. He was recently attached to David Yates Tarzan adaptation before Warner Bros. placed the project on hold amid budgetary concerns, and has three more films due for release this year - drama What Maisie Knew, action thriller The East and outbreak horror Hidden.