Oscar-winning actress Anne Hathaway, known for films like “Interstellar” and “Dark Knight Rises”, will go full evil for Robert Zemeckis’s new adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “The Witches.” Hathaway will play the Grand High Witch, the same role Anjelica Huston played with menacing elegance in the 1990 film adaptation of Dahl’s book.
In Nicolas Roeg‘s 1990 adaptation, Huston’s performance scarred a generation of children with her embodiment of a grotesque, hook-nosed child-hating witch.
“The Witches” follows an unnamed boy who stumbles upon a coven of witches who try to first lure and then destroy young children. While this alone might sound scary, the story was written by Dahl — meaning that all the trials and tribulations for the young protagonist comes with plenty of humor.
The new adaptation itself, as reported by Variety, will be different from the 1990 film. Zemeckis’s project will draw closer to the original Dahl book.
In an interview with French outlet “Allocine,” Zemeckis revealed his adaptation will be an American period piece.
“We’re going to set it in the Gothic South in the 1960s,” Zemeckis said. “It’s an exciting way to put a sociological spin on this kind of witch story.”
Zemeckis is both writing and directing, while Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro signed on to co-produce.
Currently, the other roles have yet to be cast.
By: Maytinee Kramer
