Morgan Freeman is in negotiations to join the live-action take on E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker" for Disney Pictures. The Christmas-set story, which inspired the famous Tchaikovsky ballet, follows a young girl named Clara (Mackenzie Foy) whose favorite toy, a Nutcracker, comes alive. After he defeats the Mouse King, he takes Clara away to a magical kingdom inhabited by dolls. Freeman will play the mysterious Drosselmeyer alongside Misty Copeland as the lead ballerina.