Keira Knightley to play Sugar Plum Fairy in Disney's new 'Nutcracker'

ENGLISH actress Keira Knightley has landed the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in Disney's upcoming remake of classic Christmas story "The Nutcracker".

Knightley – whose previous films include the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, "Anna Karenina" and "Everest" – joins a star cast including Mackenzie Foy, on board to play Clara, Misty Copeland and Morgan Freeman.

The live-action feature, directed by Lasse Hallström, has been titled "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms", and is based on E.T.A. Hoffmann's 1816 story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King".

The script has been penned by Ashleigh Powell, with Mark Gordon attached to produce, with Lindy Goldstein as executive producer, and Sam Dickerman and Allison Erlikhman selected to oversee the project for Disney.