Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) has made a huge name for himself both here and in the States with his Oscar-winning direction of The King’s Speech, which won four Oscars and earned a further eight nominations earlier this year.

His follow-up film has been set as an adaptation of Les Misérables, based on the 19th Century novel by Victor Hugo and the subsequent musical adaptation for the stage in 1980.

For a little while now, Golden Globe-nominated actor Hugh Jackman (X-Men) and Oscar winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator) have been attached to the project as the male leads, and Deadline now report that the film has found its leading lady in Academy Award-nominated actress Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married).

With a script from twice Oscar-nominated William Nicholson (Gladiator), everyone on board so far is clearly immensely talented. The story focuses on ex-convict Jean Valjean (Jackman), a man with a dark past in search of redemption. Hathaway will play the leading lady, Fantine, a beautiful young single mother abandoned by her lover; and Crowe will be playing the role of police inspector Javert.

Universal have clearly marked their intentions for the film by setting it in prime time for the Oscar race next year, with a US release date currently scheduled for 7th December, 2012.

Hathaway is currently at work playing Selina Kyle/Catwoman for Christopher Nolan’s upcoming and highly anticipated The Dark Knight Rises, due out next year on 20th July, which means we’ll have two films in which Hathaway plays the leading lady to look forward to in 2012.