AceShowbiz -

Jeff Nichols has found a leading lady for his next directorial gig. Deadline confirms that Kirsten Dunst has landed the coveted role in "Midnight Special", a movie in which she will team up with "Man of Steel" villain Michael Shannon and "The Great Gatsby" star Joel Edgerton.

The upcoming film from Warner Bros. will follow a father and his 8-year-old son who go on the run when the dad realizes his kid has some kind of special powers. Nichols, whose latest film is "Mud" starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, additionally serves as scribe in the project produced by Sarah Green and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones.

Dunst is best known for her portrayal of red-haired Mary Jane Watson in "Spider-Man" and its two sequels. Post-the film series about the webslinger, she starred in a number of movies, including Lars von Trier's "Melancholia". Through the 2011 pic, she earned numerous nominations and won the best-actress prize at Cannes Film Festival.

Dunst has recently been seen in "On the Road" and "Upside Down". The Golden Globe-nominated star will have a cameo appearance in the much-anticipated "Anchorman: The Legend Continues", due out December 20 in the U.S.