Michael Fassbender is in negotiations to star in The Light Between Oceans for DreamWorks and filmmaker Derek Cianfrance (The Place Beyond the Pines), who has been attached to direct since September.

The story is adapted from M.L. Steadman's novel that centers on a lighthouse keeper and his wife who surprisingly find a two-month old infant girl abandoned in a rowboat. They decide to raise her as their own, but what they believe to be a blessing soon turns tragic, as their morality and their own relationship are put to the test in ways they never imagined.

David Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford are producing, with DreamWorks currently eyeing an Australia shoot, although it isn't known when production may begin.

Michael Fassbender will next be seen in 20th Century Fox's X-Men: Days of Future Past, opening in theaters May 23. The actor also has a number of other projects in development, including Assassin's Creed, Prometheus 2 and The Mountain Between Us.