Emma Stone is circling one of the lead roles in the bigscreen adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's best-selling book The Help, for DreamWorks Studios.

According to Variety, the story is set in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s, and explores how the unspoken code of behavior governing Southern households is shattered when an aspiring writer interviews a maid, who speaks candidly about her experiences. The interview sets off shock waves that reverberate across the entire community.

Stone would play the role of Skeeter, the writer.

Tate Taylor, a childhood friend of Stockett's, will direct from his adapted script. He had acquired the film rights to the novel from Stockett.

No production date has been set.