James Corden voices Peter Rabbit in a live-action/CGI film

British actor and current US talk show superstar James Corden will lend his voice to one of the most popular children’s book characters of all time.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Corden and Rose Byrne are currently negotiating the casting of a “Peter Rabbit” film, which will be directed by Will Gluck (“Easy A,” the “Annie” remake) for Sony.

The film is said to be “a modern interpretation revolving around the rivalry between the mischievous young hopper Peter Rabbit and Mr. McGregor, a senior citizen who tries to keep his garden rabbit-free.”

Rob Lieber (“Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”) wrote the screenplay, and Glick will reportedly rewrite it.

The film will also be a combination of live action and computer animation. All in all, it doesn’t sound too far removed from last year’s Paddington. Not a bad idea, as long as the American filmmakers can capture the distinctly British tone – which is by no means certain.

Corden will voice the title character, but there is no indication who Byrne (who previously worked with Glick on “Annie”) will portray, although her role is said to be a real-life character.

Beatrix Potter’s characters have enjoyed renewed popularity among younger viewers since the recent Nickelodeon cartoon series “Peter Rabbit”, which airs in the UK on CBeebies.

Dubbing children’s characters is also not uncommon for Corden: he has already voiced the CBeebies cartoon “Little Charlie Bear”.

No production or release dates for “Peter Rabbit” have been announced yet.

Photo credit: WENN, Nickelodeon

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