New Line has signed Barry Mendel to produce "Inkheart," an adaptation of the first in Cornelia Funke's children's fantasy trilogy that will go into production in London this fall reports reports Variety.
"Inkheart" stars Brendan Fraser as a father who can bring characters from books to life by reading stories aloud to his daughter. When the father is kidnapped by some of the fantasy villains in the bedtime tales, his daughter and her friends try to free him. Paul Bettany and Jim Broadbent also star.
Lensing will start first in November in Italy and then head to Shepperton Studios, taking over the space left when "The Golden Compass" wraps. Iain Softley is directing from a screenplay by David Lindsay-Abaire, who already has been commissioned to adapt the second tome in Funke's series, "Inkspell".
