In the run-up to Tom Hooper’s Oscar win for directing The King’s Speech, did he notice how his fellow Best Director nominees were eschewing the indie sector for big, populist follow-ups? (David O. Russell lined up the video-game adaptation Uncharted, David Fincher is directing the surefire literary smash The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and Darren Aronofsky was attached to The Wolverine — at least for a little while). Perhaps it rubbed off, as Hooper has now lined up his next film, and it’s an adaptation of the long-running musical blockbuster Les Misérables, which will shoot at the end of this year. And let’s just throw this out there: Colin Firth as Jean Valjean and Geoffrey Rush as Javert? We can see it. [Deadline]