"The Handmaid's Tale" helmer Reed Morano is in negotiations to direct Anne Frank-diary drama "Keeper of the Diary". The story follows Otto Frank's quest to find a publisher for his daughter Anne Frank's diary, which became one of the enduring documents of the Holocaust. Only one woman was willing to help him - a young editor named Barbara Zimmerman, who co-founded and co-edited New York Review of Books.

"Murder on the Orient Express" helmer Kenneth Branagh was earlier in talks to direct and star as Otto Frank in the project, which is being developed by Fox Searchlight, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The studio won "Keeper of the Diary" in an auction for the script by Sam Franco and Evan Kilgore. Last year, Morano, 40, won an Emmy for directing episodes of Hulu's dystopian feminist drama "The Handmaid's Tale". She is currently shooting for the thriller "The Rhythm Section", starring Blake Lively.

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