Inkheart, which spent 19 weeks on the New York Times best-sellers list, tells the story of a little girl whose father has the powers to bring characters from her books to life with his voice.
When a villainous ruler and his band of rogues from a children’s fable kidnap the man, his daughter and her friends, both real and imaginary, must save him.
The studio wants Bettany to play Dustfinger, a fire-eating performer. Brendan Fraser will play the father. Auditions for the role of the little girl will begin in September in England.
Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire wrote the film adaptation of the book from German author Cornelia Funke, which is the first of a trilogy.