It’s been 28 years since the release of Nicolas Roeg’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved 1983 novel, The Witches, so considering we live in an age where properties can be rebooted in 28 ‘months’, we can’t begrudge Warner Bros going back to the well on this one, especially given the cult status the original has achieved.

Fans of the book itself (a tale of a young boy discovering his grandmother is actually the head of a sinister coven) may already be enthused by the potential of a contemporary retelling and the promise that this will steer closer to its source than previously, but even genre fans unfamiliar are sure to be sold by the talent circling the project. As per Variety, it seems that Back to the Future godfather Robert Zemeckis is eyeing to direct, with Guillermo del Toro, fresh from his fishy victory in The Shape of Water, acting as producer. Chuck Gravity’s Alfonso Cuaron into the pot as his co-producer and the film already has itself a formidable brew of talent behind it. Magic!

It’s early days yet, but expect more news as the project takes shape…

Book Synopsis:

BEWARE. Real witches dress in ordinary clothes and look like ordinary women. But they are not ordinary. They are always plotting and scheming with murderous, bloodthirsty thoughts – and they hate children.
The Grand High Witch hates children most of all and plans to make every single one of YOU disappear.
Only one boy and his grandmother can stop her, but if their plan fails the Grand High Witch will frizzle them like fritters, and then what…?


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