Little House on the Prairie adaptation to be directed by Sean Durkin

The movie is based on the popular Western drama about the Ingalls family

Sean Durkin is known for Martha Marcy May Marlene (Getty)

The film adaptation of Little House on the Prairie is to be directed by Sean Durkin.

The 32-year-old, known for Martha Marcy May Marlene, is in negotiations to take the helm in the reboot of the popular drama about a family on a farm in Minnesota, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Durkin replaces David Gordon Green, of The Pineapple Express, who was previously on board to direct.

Scott Rudin, of No Country for Old Men and The Truman Show, is to produce the Sony adaptation from a script written by Abi Morgan.

Little House on the Prairie, based loosely on the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, ran from 1974 to 1983 on NBC. It followed the lives of the Ingalls family in the 1870s and 1880s and was recognised as a wholesome, family show. It enjoyed good ratings and became the most popular television series in Spain.

Canadian-born Durkin won the Dramatic Directing Award at the 2011 Sundance Festival for Martha Marcy May Marlene, which starred Elizabeth Olsen and John Hawkes. Last year he directed British drama series Southcliffe, which aired on Channel 4.