Actress Brie Larson is in talks with Legendary Pictures to play the female lead in their highly-anticipated King Kong movie Kong: Skull Island. If her deal is finalized, she will join Tom Hiddleston, who has been attached to star since September. The news comes just weeks after the action-adventure movie lost two of its stars, Michael Keaton and J.K. Simmons, due to scheduling conflicts.

No details were given for Brie Larson's character at this time, or how she fits into the story. Deadline reports that Warner Bros. is also seeking replacements for J.K. Simmons and Michael Keaton, with the studio courting Russell Crowe for one of those roles. It won't be known if the actor will sign on, though, until the latest draft of the screenplay comes in. Legendary first announced the project at Comic-Con 2014 at the end of their Hall H panel.

We reported in January that Kong: Skull Island will be partially set in Detroit, circa 1971, but it isn't known how that time period and setting will be implemented in the story. The plot will explore the home island of King Kong, seen through the eyes of a group of explorers. This new movie is said to "honor the foundations" of the King Kong franchise, while also setting it in a brand new timeline. Production is scheduled to begin in either late 2015 or early 2016, with Legendary and Universal Pictures already setting a March 10, 2017 release date.

Jordan Vogt-Roberts (The Kings of Summer) is directing from a script written by John Gatins (Real Steel) and Max Borenstein (Godzilla). Legendary's Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni are producing with Mary Parent, with Alex Garcia and Eric McLeod serving as executive producers. The film will be released in 3D and IMAX 3D formats, but it isn't known if the movie will be shot in native 3D, or converted in post-production.

Brie Larson can currently be seen on the big screen in Universal's hit comedy Trainwreck, which opened last weekend. She also stars in the upcoming indie Digging for Fire, in theaters August 21. The actress is currently filming director Ben Wheatley's Free Fire, alongside Armie Hammer, Cillian Murphy, Sharlto Copley and Jack Reynor. What do you think about Brie Larson landing the female lead in Kong: Skull Island?