Rachel Weisz to star in 'The Lovely Bones'

Los Angeles -- Actress Rachel Weisz has signed on to play the leading role in Peter Jackson's "The Lovely Bones," based on the Alice Sebold novel of the same name.

DreamWorks will begin production on the film in October with distributor Paramount Pictures releasing the movie worldwide, Variety.com reported Tuesday.

Weisz will play a mother whose young girl was abducted and thought to have been murdered.

Carolynne Cunningham, Jackson Walsh and Aimee Peyronnet will all produce, and Film 4's Tessa Ross will be the executive producer alongside Ken Kamins and Jim Wilson.

The movie will be filmed in Pennsylvania and New Zealand.

Weisz has previously been in "The Mummy" franchise and won an Oscar for "The Constant Gardener."

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.