Will The King's Speech Director Tom Hooper Bring Les Miserables to the Big Screen?

Fresh off scoring an Oscar nomination for The King's Speech, director Tom Hooper may be interested in adapting the Tony-winning musical Les Miserables for the big screen, according to the Los Angeles Times. A rep for Hooper would not comment on his involvement with the project.

The previously announced project is being produced by Working Title films and producer Cameron Mackintosh. No casting has been announced, but production is expected to begin later this year or in 2012.

Featuring music by Claude-Michel Schonberg, a book by Schonberg and Alain Boubil and lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, Les Miserables made its stage debut in London in 1985. Two years later, it took the Broadway stage in March 1987. It played for 6,680 performances before closing in 2003. A revival followed in October 2006, playing 463 performances before closing in 2008.

Based on the novel by Victor Hugo, the story of reformed 19th century Frenchman Jean Valjean and his struggle against police officer Javert during the background of France's student revolution, was adapted into a non-musical version for screen in 1998, starring Liam Neeson as Valjean, Tony winner and The King's Speech star Geoffrey Rush as pursuer Javert, Claire Danes as Valean's adopted daughter Cosette and Uma Thurman as her mother, Fantine.