Emma Thompson in talks to star in Ian McEwan's The Children Act

The author's tale follows a British high court judge who must make decisions on a plethora of seemingly hopeless and unpleasant cases.

Thompson would play Judge Fiona Maye, who gets so attached to her cases that they often put a strain on her marriage.

But one case is particularly challenging – that of a 17-year-old boy who is suffering from leukaemia and wants to refuse blood transfusions that could save his life because the procedure goes against his religion.

The case causes inner turmoil for the judge who must decide between the boy’s right to choose and the possibility of his future.

The film will be directed by Richard Eyre, whose credits include Notes on a Scandal and Iris. Should it go ahead, Thompson's casting would reunite her with Love Actually and My Fair Lady producer Duncan Kenworthy.

A release date for The Children Act is not yet known but Thompson will next appear in Bridget Jones’s Baby – which she also wrote – as an obstetrician. The movie hits UK cinemas on 16 September.