Rebecca Ferguson boards The Magic Faraway Tree movie adaptation

Rebecca Ferguson has been cast in 'The Magic Faraway Tree'.

The 'Dune' actress, 40, has signed on to star as the terrifying headmistress Dame Snap in the upcoming Palisades Park Pictures movie adaptation of Enid Blyton's book series for children, which will be directed by 'Britannia' filmmaker Ben Gregor.

In a statement, the director said: "Rebecca is a towering screen presence, one of the finest actors of her generation, and will be an electrifying addition to our movie."

The actress will star opposite the likes of Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Jennifer Saunders, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Nicola Coughlan and Nonso Anozie in the picture, which is currently filming at Shinfield Studios in the UK.

Ferguson is best known for starring opposite Tom Cruise as the secret agent Ilsa Faust in the 'Mission: Impossible' franchise, though exited the series after her character was killed off in last year's 'Dead Reckoning'.

The actress explained she felt it was the right time for her to depart the franchise because she believed Faust was becoming a "team player".

During an appearance on the 'UnWrapped' podcast, she said: "To speak very clearly – because I know a lot of people are sad about it, I'm sad about it – I had filmed three films. My deal was done.

"And I love her beyond words. Beyond words. I think she's the most awesome, fantastic character.

"Ilsa was becoming a team player. And we can all want different things, but for me, Ilsa was rogue. Ilsa was naughty. Ilsa was unpredictable. There was a lot of characters coming in, not leaving enough space for what she had been."

Ferguson added that she didn’t want to commit to making more 'Mission: Impossible' flicks due to the lengthy production process that comes with the action franchise.

She said: "Selfishly, that's a lot of time to make a 'Mission' film. And unless you're going to have a lot of screen time, that's a lot of time sitting around waiting to film a huge movie that could take over a year to film. It's dedication."