In a move that underscores the studio drive to tap into the extra earning power of 3D releases, Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese is teaming with Sony to bring Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret to the screen in 3D.

According to Variety, the CK Films picture will hit the theatres Dec 9, 2011.  Selznick’s best-selling children’s book is about a 12 year old orphan named Hugo, who lives in a train station in 1930s Paris.  The boy must finish his father’s work and solve the mystery of a broken robot.

The film will be shot in London starting this summer and marks the legendary film director’s first 3D effort.  John Logan, who scribed The Aviator for Scorsese, adapted the screenplay.