Over a year ago, Sofia Coppola was confirmed to direct a film version of the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale The Little Mermaid.

However, the acclaimed director has now dropped out of the gig "due to creative differences" writes The Hollywood Reporter.

The website says casting was underway for the film, with Coppola meeting with the film's producers recently in London. The studios, Universal and Working Title, are still very keen to move forward with the project and keep it on track.

Atonement director Joe Wright was previously mooted for The Little Mermaid project, which has been in development since 2011, but it's understood he moved over to work on an upcoming adaptation of JM Barrie’s Peter Pan, starring Rooney Mara, instead.

It's expected that the live action feature will focus on the original and darker translation of Andersen's story - in contrast to the hit 1989 Disney adaptation. The script is being written by Caroline Thompson, who penned 1990's Edward Scissorhands.

Chloë Grace Moretz set to play Ariel in The Little Mermaid live action film