The 33-year-old dancer, who became the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, is expected to play the lead ballerina in the project, reported Ace Showbiz.
It was Copeland herself who broke the news on her Instagram.
"I'm thrilled to be a part of this amazing project with Disney and the wonderful Lasse Hallstrom #TheNutcracker #MoreToCome," she captioned a picture of "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms" script.
The film will be a live-action adaptation of E.T.A. Hoffman's Christmas Eve tale about a girl who finds a Nutcracker doll.