'Alice' Cast In Tim Burton's 'Wonderland' Adaptation

(andPOP) - Australian actress Mia Wasikowska is set to chase the White Rabbit and have tea with the Mad Hatter in her latest role.

The 18-year-old newcomer is in final negotiations to star in Tim Burton's adaptation of the classic fantasy novel "Alice in Wonderland," ending an exhaustive search for the Disney movie's lead.

Scripted by Linda Woolverton ("The Lion King"), the big-budget film will be presented in Disney Digital 3-D and mix live-action and performance-capture footage.

Burton's take on the 1865 tale by Lewis Carroll, formally known as "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," isn't the first time the director is adapting a literary work for the big screen -- his 2005 movie "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" was based on the well-known novel by Roald Dahl.

Filming is slated to begin this November, with a target release date of 2010.

Wasikowska, who made her TV debut in the Aussie series "All Saints," is currently a regular on HBO's "In Treatment."

She recently finished shooting her role as a young Amelia Earhart in the Hilary Swank-starring biopic "Amelia," and will appear opposite Daniel Craig in the war drama "Defiance," due in theatres in December.