The Oscar-winning actress already has two-year-old twins, Phinnaeus Walter and Hazel Patricia, with her 37-year-old husband of four-and-a-half years, cameraman Danny Moder.

Flame-haired Julia once told US chat show queen Oprah Winfrey that she and Danny were keen to have a big family, telling her: "I’m in the harbour of my life... Danny has really shined the light for me."

Though Julia took a break from acting after giving birth to the twins in November 2004, the actress, who can reportedly now command up to 25 million dollars per movie, has already been linked to two new projects, the Mike Nichols film Charlie Wilson’s War and The Friday Night Knitting Club, over the coming months.

Her spokeswoman, Marci Engelman, was unavailable for comment.