After making a splash with a fantastic performance in The Book Thief, young Sophie Nelisse has lined up a new adaptation, this time of a book geared towards kids. Variety has word that Nelisse will lead The Great Gilly Hopkins, an adaptation of the Newbery Award-winning book of the same name by Katherine Paterson. The book follows a wisecracking, gum-chewing 12-year-old named Gilly (Nelisse), moved from foster home to foster home, outwitting them all. But when placed in the home of Maime Trotter, the most unorthodox foster mom yet (Kathy Bates), Gilly fights her way out, but her life takes an unexpected turn.
Nelisse will also be surrounded by some impressive talents like Glenn Close, Danny Glover and Octavia Spencer. They'll all be directed by Stephen Herek, who's heyday was in the 90s with films like Mr. Holland's Opus, The Three Musketeers and 101 Dalmatians (which saw Close as Disney's iconic Cruella de Vil). The film is currently being sold at the Berlin Film Market by WestEnd Films with shooting beginning in April. The last Paterson book to hit the big screen with The Bridge to Terabithia, and there should be a big enough audience interested in seeingthe book come to life on the big screen. Thoughts?