Jesse Ventura could become TV judge

Los Angeles -- Former Minnesota governor and pro wrestler Jesse "The Body" Ventura is in negotiations to star in a daytime TV court show, sources say.

Ventura is talking with Twentieth Television to host a show in which he would appear as a judge in a courtroom-style reality setting, an enduringly popular genre that already has 11 such shows in first-run syndication, unnamed sources told TV Week magazine.

If the deal is completed, Ventura's show would debut in fall 2009, one of several personality-driven series getting ready for upcoming production, the magazine said.

Ventura was governor of Minnesota for one term from 1998 to 2002, and before that had a long, colorful career as a professional wrestler. The former U.S. Navy frogman has also acted in several movies and television shows.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.