Sofia Coppola usually takes some sweet time during the (quiet) development process of films that… take their sweet time to tell their story in a quiet manner. The sudden and high-profile nature of this recent announcement probably isn’t indicative of where her next project will end up going, but a humorous little observation almost never hurt anyone.

Right! You probably want me to stop babbling and give you the news. As it goes, Variety reports that the writer-director has snagged Emma Watson (Wizard School) for her next picture, The Bling Ring, the account of a true-life, titular group who “reportedly stole thousands to millions of dollars worth of belongings from celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson and Lindsay Lohan.” Though I imagine certain aspects of this will be fictionalized for the screen version, Coppola is taking her writing cues from Nancy Jo Sales‘ Vanity Fair story, The Suspects Wore Louboutins.

Watson‘s role hasn’t been been expounded upon in Variety’s story, though I feel safe wagering that she’ll either play one of the group’s primary members — maybe Alexis Neiers, who seems to be the “celebrity” of that group — or a rough approximation fictionalized on account of some boring legal issues. Either way, she’s an interesting pick; almost her entire career has been built on playing a more wholesome, admirable character type, one she’s only started to get away from with something like David Yates‘ Your Voice in My Head.

But when you’re stepping a little further out there with a collaborator both fresh and unique — like, for instance, Sofia Coppola — you come off looking pretty good. Heck, this performance might actually be my most anticipated aspect of Bling Ring. (Please don’t take my indie card away.)

Could Watson and Coppola prove to be an interesting pairing of star and helmer?