Kaitlyn Dever in talks for Dear Evan Hansen role

Kaitlyn Dever is in talks to star in a film adaptation of 'Dear Evan Hansen'.

According to reports, the 23-year-old actress is set to play the female lead in the movie, a take on the popular stage musical which is being developed by Universal.

Broadway star Ben Platt is expected to reprise his role as Evan in the musical as the project moves to the big screen.

Stephen Chbosky will direct from a script written by Steve Levenson, who penned the book for the stage musical.

Marc Platt and Adam Siegel are producing the flick, while lyricists Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who wrote music for the show.

The plot follows Evan Hansen, a teenager with social anxiety who gets caught up in a lie when the family of classmate who committed suicide confuses one of Evan's letters for his suicide note.

Kaitlyn will play the role of Zoe, the tragic classmate's sister, who begins dating Evan after he strikes up a relationship with the boy's family.

The musical has received critical acclaim since it premiered in 2015 and won five Tony Awards at the 2017 ceremony.

Kaitlyn has recently starred in the coming-of-age comedy 'Booksmart' and won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of a sexual assault survivor in Netflix series 'Unbelievable'.

She worked alongside Olivia Wilde in 'Booksmart' and admits that she learnt so much from the 'Richard Jewell' star, who directed the motion picture.

Kaitlyn said: "Oh my god, I learned so much from her every single day. She's just an incredible person that inspires me to take big leaps. If she wants something she really goes for it and I really admire that because courage is not an easy thing to have.

"It was so refreshing to make a movie about two women, who weren't chasing after a guy in a teen comedy for once. They are smart women who are driven. I could go on and on about her and the film because I just love it with all my heart."