AceShowbiz -

Saoirse Ronan is close to take the lead role in Walt Disney Pictures' new warrior movie "The Order of the Seven". The Oscar-nominated young actress is currently in final negotiation with the Mouse House to star as Olivia Sinclair in the upcoming film.

Ronan's character is described as a British expatriate in 19th century Hong Kong. She looks for protection from centuries old group of warriors, who now become a gang of outlaws. Following the re-emergence of an ancient evil empress, Sinclair helps the warriors reclaim their destiny and noble roots.

According to Variety, the long-gestating movie project was originally designed as a Kung Fu retelling of classic "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" story. Nonetheless, the film has been readjusted into a standalone action adventure pic that is not related at all to the Grim fairy tale.

It is said that Disney aims to boost the international appeal of this movie by recruiting well-known actors from China, Russia and Japan to fill the parts of the warriors. Words are, the studio's execs have been making trips to those countries to begin talks with local talents.

"Order of Seven", which has been developed at Disney since 2002, was originally written by Michael Chabon, who adapted "Snow White" story to the script. The latest version of the screenplay is now penned by scribe duo Jayson Rothwell and Michael DeBruyn.

Tackling the directorial duty for the fantasy pic is commercials helmer and visual effects supervisor Michael Gracey, who replaced "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" choreographer Yuen Woo-ping as the former director. The production is expected to kick off this fall.

In addition to the Disney movie, Ronan has been attached to several potential big movies recently. She has joined the voice cast of "The Secret World of Arrietty" and has been cast in Neil Jordan's vampire flick "Byzantium". Her other upcoming project is "The Host", a movie adaptation of "Twilight" authoress Stephenie Meyer's novel.