After rumblings and rumours, Anne Hathaway has now been confirmed to be a part of Robert Zemeckis’ upcoming new take on Roald Dahl’s The Witches.
Deadline were the first with the scoop, revealing that Hathaway will be playing the Grand High Witch in the latest adaptation of Dahl’s classic 1983 tale. Oscar winner Hathaway is likely best known to genre fans for playing Selina Kyle in The Dark Knight Rises, with other credits including heavy hitters such as Alice in Wonderland, Les Miserables, Ocean’s 8 and Interstellar.
Elsewhere, the outlet is also reporting that the brilliant Viola Davis is another name rumoured for a role in the Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron-produced picture.
For those not familiar with Dahl’s The Witches, the official synopsis on the source material reads:
A boy’s parents die in a car crash, so he goes to live in Norway with his grandmother. She tells him stories about witches, who have claws instead of finger nails, bald heads, large nose holes, square feet, and blue spit.
Of course, the book was famously adapted in 1990 by Nicolas Roeg. This latest effort, though, will pull more from the source material than Roeg’s movie. In said ’90 effort, Anjelica Huston took on the role of the Grand High Witch.
Expect more on The Witches as it continues to develop.