Daisy Ridley & James Corden sign on for Peter Rabbit movie

Star Wars: The Force Awakens actress Daisy Ridley and funnyman James Corden will lead the cast of a new Peter Rabbit movie.

Columbia Pictures studio bosses have picked up the live-action/CG motion project, based on children's author and illustrator Beatrix Potter's beloved tale about a mischievous bunny, and Will Gluck has signed on to direct.

He will work with animators at Australia's Animal Logic, the production studio behind The LEGO Movie.

Gluck will also revise Rob Lieber's screenplay.

Into the Woods star Corden, who now hosts his own late-night TV show, has been cast as Peter Rabbit, and Australian actress Rose Byrne will voice the female lead role of Bea. Ridley and Elizabeth Debicki will also be part of the voice cast.

Columbia bosses secured the rights for the film from Frederick Warne, Beatrix Potter's publisher since the publication of The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1902.

Will Gluck, whose directing credits include the Annie remake, Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis' Friends with Benefits, and 2010's Easy A, says, "I am delighted to be teaming up with Frederick Warne. Their expertise and stewardship is absolutely critical to making a film that honors the legacy of Beatrix Potter."

Bosses at Sony Pictures Entertainment are currently in the planning stages of creating a worldwide licensing and merchandising initiative to tie in with the new Peter Rabbit movie, which is set to start filming in January (17) in Sydney, Australia. The movie is scheduled to hit the big screen in April, 2018.

Renee Zellweger portrayed Beatrix Potter onscreen in 2006 movie Miss Potter.