Laverne Cox has been cast in the film adaptation of the YA dystopian fantasy novel Uglies.

According to a report from Deadline, The Orange Is The New Black star will be joining Joey King, Keith Powers, Brianna Tju and Chase Stokes in the film.

The international bestseller from Scott Westerfeld follows teenager Tally Youngblood, who lives in a world that requires 16-year-olds to undergo cosmetic surgery that makes them fall under a universal beauty standard.

McG has been tapped to direct the project, who’s best known for the Charlies Angels and Babysitter franchises.

Krista Vernoff will be writing the screenplay and King is set to executive producing the film alongside Jamie King, Westerfeld, and John Fox.

Taking to Instagram, Cox expressed her excitement for the film and working with the “incredible” cast and crew.

“I feel so blessed to be an artist hopefully getting better at my craft, certainly working hard to do so. What a privilege this film is, based on a powerful young adult book series by Scott Westerfeld,” she wrote.

“What a privilege to work with such incredibly talented and committed young actors and McG, our incredible director, oh McG you’re just incredible. Stay tuned!”

Westerfeld echoed similar sentiments on Instagram, stating: “This is thrilling news and Laverne Cox is killing it.”

 

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Alongside her upcoming film role, Cox is gearing up for a booked and busy new year.

In February, the highly anticipated Shonda Rhimes series Iventing Anna is set to drop on Netflix.

The 10-episode drama will star Anna Chlumsky (Veep) as a journalist who investigates the case of Anna Delvey (Julia Garner), an Instagram socialite who notoriously committed theft and grand larceny for scamming New York hotels.

Cox will be playing celebrity trainer and life coach Kacy Duke, who becomes embroiled in Anna’s controversy but has the wits to stay out of any trouble herself. According to Variety, Kacy “finds herself becoming more than just a coach to Anna”.

The series is inspired by Jessica Pressler’s article How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People for The New York Magazine.

The 49-year-old has also been announced as the new host of E!’s signature red carpet award show Live from E!

Back in May, the network revealed that she would be hosting the long-running series and an array of celebrity-based interview specials that spotlight award show winners.

“I’m so excited and deeply humbled to be hosting E!’s iconic red carpet coverage. For many years I would wake up early on awards show days, get my snacks in place and watch E!’s coverage all day long,” she said in a statement. 

“I dreamed of walking red carpets. Now, not only have I had several fun and amazing personal red carpet moments, I also get to be a red carpet guide for E!’s discerning audience and chat with my colleagues and folks I deeply admire for these very special events in their lives.”