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Acclaimed Hollywood film director Robert Zemeckis will be reportedly directing a Warner Bros.’ adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic book, and this one is expected to be closer to the original story.
As Variety reported, the final negotiations with the studio are taking place, and the parts will reach an agreement soon. If everything goes as planned, Zemeckis will also be writing the screenplay based on the 1983 dark fantasy novel.
The first-class team will be complete with Zemeckis’ partner Jack Rapke in charge of the production and co-writing of the film, with Oscar winners Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo del Toro on board in the production as well.
Del Toro, who has recently been awarded for his 2017 film The Shape of Water, was originally appointed as director, but due to scheduling conflicts, he had to step down from the position, passing the role to Zemeckis.
This will be the second film adaptation of the book since Warner Bros. released a screen version of the story in 1990, starring Anjelica Huston and Rowan Atkinson under the direction of Nicolas Roeg.
The 1990 movie was the last of the several film adaptations made from Dahl’s stories during the British writer’s lifetime. The author passed away that same year, but not before he could express his dislike for the film.
Despite Dahl’s disapproval of the movie, it amassed plenty of positive reviews from the critics and it went on to become a classic. Now, Warner Bros. is giving the story another approach to a younger generation.
According to his wife Liccy, Roald’s main problem with the first film was that its ending was different from the book’s, removing its darker elements that were essential for the writer.
Apparently, what Zemeckis has in mind will be more rooted in the original source material, so Roald Dahl’s purists might have a chance to enjoy this version. Read more on our Twitter account @amomama_usa