Fallon set for Conan's late-night slot?

Former Saturday Night Live cast member Jimmy Fallon is slated to take over Conan O'Brien's late-night chair when the latter starts helming The Tonight Show next year, according to reports.

The 33-year-old Fallon has signed or is close to signing a talk show deal with NBC, according to reports published Thursday in leading industry trade papers Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.

NBC and a spokesperson for Fallon had no comment.

Aside from a six-season stint on SNL, including as a co-anchor for the Weekend Update segment alongside writer-performer Tina Fey, Brooklyn-born Fallon's credits have included the films Taxi, Fever Pitch, Doogal and Arthur and the Invisibles.

He is also a popular personality with the MTV set, having served as host of the MTV Movie Awards twice and appeared as a presenter or performer at the network's Music Video Awards.

In 2004, NBC announced that long-time Tonight Show host Jay Leno would step down in 2009 — after 17 years in the chair — to be replaced by O'Brien, an Emmy Award-winning comedy writer and producer whose resumé includes stints on SNL and The Simpsons.

Past hosts of the Los Angeles-based Tonight Show have included Steve Allen, Jack Paar and Johnny Carson.

At the time, no successor was named for O'Brien's New York-based Late Night with Conan O'Brien, which airs immediately following The Tonight Show.

However, Fallon's name had been tossed around as a favoured contender for the late-night slot, with NBC executive Rick Ludwin admitting in 2007 that the actor was "at the top of our short list."