Emma-WatsonLast year saw Emma Watson make her debut leading role in a post-Harry Potter film in Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and the next few years look very promising for the young actress. With a slew of brilliant films over the next year, she’s now in early talks to lead Disney’s live-action film, Cinderella.

Variety report that the talks are in the very early stages, but we’d definitely be interested to see Watson take the role. So fingers crossed here.

Kenneth Branagh (Thor, Henry V) is behind the camera here, making yet another very interesting choice to take the director’s role for Cinderella. Mark Romanek (Never Let Me Go) had previously been involved with the project, but Branagh has since come on board in his place.

Cate Blanchett will be playing the role of the wicked stepmother. No word yet on who might be joining Watson as Cinderella’s notorious step-sisters, but hopefully if talks go well with Watson for the lead, we’ll hear more on her fellow co-stars soon.

Branagh will be directing from a script by Chris Weitz (About a Boy), based on a pitch by Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada). And Simon Kinberg (Sherlock Holmes) will be producing alongside Allison Shearmur (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) and David Barron (Jack Ryan).

Last seen in Wallflower, Watson will next be seen this summer leading Sofia Coppola’s anticipated The Bling Ring, and making a cameo in Evan Goldberg’s and Seth Rogen’s This Is the End. Following that, she’ll star in Darren Aronofsky’s biblical epic, Noah, which is set to be released in the spring next year.

Disney are aiming to get Cinderella into production in the autumn/fall of this year, with an eye to release the film in 2014. Though the talks are still early yet, the project is one that has our interest piqued. And I think even more so, now that Watson is circling the lead.