It seems unlikely Mickey Rourke and Gareth Thomas would be mistaken for one another.

Three years after he first told the press he was in discussions to play former rugby player Gareth Thomas in a film, Hollywood star Mickey Rourke has said that the project remains a possibility.

In early 2011 Rourke, who turns 62 next month, explained he had been inspired by Thomas’ decision to come out as gay while at the top of his sport.

He said he would need to train for “nine to eleven months” adding: “I am a good enough actor and I can look fit enough to play the game and that’s what it’s all about.

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That’s what I do, I act. I can act like I can play, and play at a high level.”

Since then things have been very quiet, but speaking on a US chat show last week Rourke said that progress had been made and that Thomas had been shown the script and approved it.

“A whole bunch of different athletes have followed Gareth in coming out in the last couple of years. But I didn’t want to do a boxing movie and I can’t play basketball – I don’t dribble very well – so rugby seemed to be the sport.”

He told Jimmy Kimmel Live that the proposed script had a sex scene. “I’m in the tub with another guy and I remove my teeth at the front and put them on the edge of the bath – you know, before we get it on.”