Brian Percival may direct a film adaptation of Markus Zusak‘s The Book Thief for Fox 2000.

According to Deadline, The Twilight Saga film series producer Karen Rosenfelt is already on board. Michael Petroni, the screenwriter behind The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, has written the script. Production could start as early as summer 2012.

Throughout his directorial career, Percival has largely focused on television projects. In 2010, he won the Emmy for “Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special” for his work on the drama Downton Abbey.

Here’s more from the article: “The WWII story involves Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich who survives by stealing books. Aided by her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with neighbors during bombing raids. One of those who benefits from the books is the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.” Who would you cast as Liesel?