According to Variety, New Line Cinema has tapped Brit director Iain Softley (The Skeleton Key) to helm its family fantasy Inkheart.

Studio's aiming Inkheart for an Easter 2007 release. Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire signed last year to write the bigscreen adaptation of German author Cornelia Funke's fantasy novel.

Inkheart, which spent 19 weeks on the New York Times Children's Chapter bestseller list, revolves around a girl whose father has the power to bring characters from books to life by reading aloud. 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 rescue him.