After writing and co-directing Disney's smash hit Frozen, Jennifer Lee has signed on to write the adapted screenplay for A Wrinkle in Time.

First published in 1962, author Madeleine L'Engle's novel centers on a young girl who travels through time and space on a journey to find her missing father. The book was one of Jennifer Lee's favorites as a child, and the writer impressed Disney executives with her take on the story, featuring a strong, female-driven narrative while tackling the sci-fi and world-building elements in unique and fresh ways. We first reported on this project back in 2010, when John Stockwell was hired to write the script. A Wrinkle in Time was previously adapted into a 2003 TV movie that aired on ABC. Catherine Hand, who produced the TV movie, is aboard to produce this new adaptation with Jim Whitaker.

No director has been attached to the project at this time. While Jennifer Lee works on the script, she'll continue to serve as part of Walt Disney Animation's story trust, working on a number of projects in active development. Disney Animation's Frozen was the division's biggest hit yet, taking in a whopping $1.3 billion. Their next project is Big Hero 6, Disney's first animated Marvel Comics adaptation, which hits theaters on November 7.

The novel is the first in Madeleine L'Engle's "Time Quartet" novel series, which includes "A Wind in the Door," "Many Waters," and "A Swiftly Tilting Planet." The 1989 novel "An Acceptable Time" is set a generation earlier.