Sophia Lillis is going from the world of supernatural killer clowns to solving mysteries, as the actress has just been cast as the new Nancy Drew. The young star has been cast in Warner Bros. upcoming Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase, which is expected to go into production shortly. Lillis was last seen in last year's adaptation of Stephen King's IT, which was a tremendous hit at the box office. Now, she's going to have the chance to start a franchise of her own.

This movie will adapt the second collection of Nancy Drew stories, which was originally released in 1930. The Hidden Staircase was written by Mildred Wirt Benson and published under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Warner Bros. previously adapted the book for the big screen in 1939. That adaptation was directed by William Clemens and starred Bonita Granville. While the studio hasn't released an official synopsis for Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase, here's a plot description of the original book.

"After receiving a call from her friend Helen Corning, Nancy agrees to help solve a baffling mystery. Helen's Aunt Rosemary has been living with her mother at the old family mansion, and they have noticed many strange things. They have heard music, thumps, and creaking noises at night, and seen eerie shadows on the walls. Could the house be haunted? Just as soon as she hangs up the phone, a strange man visits Nancy's house to warn her and her father that they are in danger because of a case he is working on buying property for a railroad company. This warning leads Nancy and her father Carson to search for the missing Willie Wharton, a landowner, who can prove he signed away his land to the railroad and save the railroad from a lawsuit. Will Nancy be able to find the missing landowner and discover how these mysteries are related?"

Ellen DeGeneres, Jeff Kleeman, and Chip Diggins are on board the movie as producers, with Wendy Williams executive producing. Even though the project is said to be filming soon, there is currently no word on who is going to direct Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase, nor is it clear at the present time who penned the adaptation. Given the number of Nancy Drew books available, Warner Bros. could easily turn this into a franchise, if the first movie is successful.

The last time we saw the beloved character brought to the big screen was in 2007's Nancy Drew, which starred Emma Roberts in the lead role, but only made $30 million worldwide. Warner Bros. was also behind IT, which grossed $700 million worldwide, so it's no surprise that they tapped one of the stars of that movie for this new take on Nancy Drew. Sophia Lillis will next be seen in HBO's Sharp Objects and will also be reprising her role as Beverly in IT 2, which films this summer. Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase does not yet have a release date. This news comes to us courtesy of Deadline.