LOS ANGELES • Charlie's Angels is returning to the big screen next year for a third outing, this time with a female director and a multi-racial trio of women led by Kristen Stewart.

Twilight star Stewart, along with rising British actresses Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska, will play the lead roles in the latest movie reboot of the 1970s crime caper, to be directed by actress Elizabeth Banks, Sony Pictures said on Thursday.

"Charlie's Angels, for me, is one of the original brands to celebrate the empowered woman since its debut in the 1970s. This film honours the legacy of Charles Townsend and his agency while introducing a new era of modern and global Angels," Banks said in a statement.

Banks, who also directed Pitch Perfect 2 (2015), is also a co-producer and co-writer.

She will play the role of the avuncular Bosley, which was played by a man on the original television series and two movie versions.

The new Charlie's Angels marks a trend in Hollywood to entrust more women with directing big-budget fare, and towards ethnic diversity. Scott is of Indian descent, while Balinska is mixed race.

Scott is set to play Princess Jasmine in the upcoming live-action remake of Aladdin, while the latest Charlie's Angels reboot will be Balinska's first major movie role in the United States.

Charlie's Angels first appeared on American television in 1976, starring Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, and Jaclyn Smith as sexy private detectives sent on missions by their unseen boss, Charlie Townsend.

The series spawned a 2000 movie adaptation starring Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore, who returned for a 2003 sequel Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.

The new movie is expected to be released in September next year, but the title and plot details were not announced.

REUTERS