By CLAUDE BRODESSER

Specialty label Universal Focus greenlit eclectic drama "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" late Tuesday, with Kate Winslet negotiating to join topliner Jim Carrey.

"Eternal" was penned by Charlie Kaufman, nommed for an Oscar for his 1999 USA Films (now Universal Focus) pic "Being John Malkovich."

Like "Malkovich," Kaufman's newest project is set partly in the human mind -- specifically, in the mind of a man trying to put memories of a particularly steamy relationship with his ex-mate behind him.

A spokeswoman for the U label, however, declined to comment on the "Eternal" developments, citing a policy of not commenting on pending negotiations. Nonetheless, sources say the pic is to go before cameras in January.

Winslet, repped by the William Morris Agency, next appears opposite Kevin Spacey in "The Life of David Gale" -- also a Universal release, co-financed by Intermedia Films. She's attached to "Neverland," Marc Forster's follow-up to "Monster's Ball," starring opposite Johnny Depp.

Kaufman's other unreleased opus, "Adaptation," is due to hit theaters in December. That pic's a wild comedy about a frustrated screenwriter's quest for love and subsequent emotional meltdown during a vexingly difficult adaptation of Susan Orlean's book "The Orchid Thief." The film will be released by Sony's Columbia Pictures and was largely co-financed by Intermedia Films.