Lindsay Lohan's 'Inferno' lost is Malin Akerman's gain

Malin Akerman gets kissed by sailors Marcus Steinle, left, and and Steve Graziosa at a Veteran's Day event sponsored by Maybelline New York and the USO, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010.

Credit: AP Photo/Starpix, Amanda Schwab

It's had to imagine anyone who can take Lindsay Lohan seriously as an actress these days, but filmmaker Matthew Wilder tried. The director attached the tabloid queen and former "Mean Girls" star to his Linda Lovelace biopic "Inferno: A Linda Lovelace Story" and presold the picture at the 2010 Cannes Film Market to raise funding.  Unfortunately, Lohan's constant issues with drugs, alcohol and rehab made it impossible to insure the drama.  Now, with Lohan out, Wilder has revealed Malin Akerman will step into the Lovelace role.

Lovelace is best known for her part in the iconic '70s porno film "Deep Throat," but the actress later insisted she'd been forced to participate in the production by her controlling husband.  Those claims were made in Lovelace's 1980 book, "Ordeal: An Autobiography," and are the basis for Wilder's screenplay.  She eventually became an anti-pornography activist before passing away at the age of 53 following injuries sustained in a 2002 traffic accident.

Akerman recently appeared in the Sundance Film Festival indies "The Romantics" and 'Happythankyoumoreplease, but she's best known for her roles in "Watchmen," "27 Dresses" and "Couples Retreat."  The 32-year-old actress recently completed the independent thriller "Criminal Empire for Dummy's" alongside Gary Oldman.

Wilder expects to begin production on "Inferno" this February.

This story was first reported by E!Online and then confirmed by Wilder's Facebook page.