Joe Wright (Anna Karenina, Pan) is in negotiations to direct an adaptation of Charlotte Rogan‘s The Lifeboat. Anne Hathaway will produce and star in the film, working alongside Working Title, Film 360 and Focus Features. The script was penned by William Broyles Jr. (Castaway, Jarhead).

More on the story below.

The novel centers on “a young newlywed-turned-widow standing trial in 1914 for murder. The story recounts how with the help of her new husband, she survived the sinking of the Empress, a transatlantic ocean liner. She finds herself on a lifeboat, only to discover there are too many people on board, leading to a moral crisis as to who stays and who has to go.” Deadline was the first to break the story.

Hathaway will play the lead role of Grace Winter.

The film certainly has a lot of potential, and having Wright direct it is a great idea. Just imagine all the one-shot takes in this film. But there is no mention of when the film could start shooting, or who else may star in the film. Though the decision is based on the team, it’s very possible that the film could be shooting for an Oscar season release. Wright is currently working on Pan, which is set for an October 2015 release, and after that the director is pretty much free to do what he wants. The Lifeboat could very well be his next project. His previous credits include Pride And Prejudice, Atonement, and Anna Karenina – all of which were with Focus Features.

As for Hathaway, she is currently in the midst of a lawsuit filed against her by Toho Co. Ltd. over Nacho Vigalondo’s Colossal, a project that is being described as Godzilla meets Lost In Translation. She is just coming off Song One and Interstellar.

[Source: Deadline]