The 'Saving Mr. Banks' actress has been cast as the notorious headmistress Agatha Trunchbull in the upcoming big-screen adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's classic.
- January 16, 2021
AceShowbiz - Emma Thompson has landed the role of formidable headmistress Agatha Trunchbull in the upcoming "Matilda the Musical" movie.
According to Netflix, Thompson will be playing Trunchbull and newcomer Alisha Weir, 11, has beat thousands of competitors to play the titular Matilda.
It was previously reported that Ralph Fiennes, with whom Emma co-starred in the "Harry Potter" series, was in line for the Miss Trunchbull role but it appears that didn't work out.
Meanwhile, Lashana Lynch is said to be in final negotiations to star as Miss Honey in the musical movie, which will be directed by Matthew Warchus.
"Matilda the Musical" debuted in 2010 before hitting London's West End the following year. It transferred to Broadway in 2013 and ran for four years before closing in 2017.
The movie, which follows the story of a young bookworm prodigy mistreated by her ignorant parents and abusive school headmistress, will be a collaboration between Sony Pictures and Netflix, and will receive a limited theatre release in the U.K. before hitting the streaming service worldwide.
The novel was previously made into a film in 1996, starring Mara Wilson as the title character, with appearances from Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, Embeth Davidtz, and Pam Ferris.
Emma Thompson was last seen on the big screen in 2019. She starred in comedy drama "Late Night" with Mindy Kaling, sci-fi action comedy "Men in Black: International", coming-of-age movie "How to Build a Girl", and rom-com "Last Christmas". She also lent her voice in stop-motion animated movie "Missing Link".
In 2020, she voiced Poly the macaw in a new adaptation of "Doctor Dolittle" fronted by Robert Downey Jr.
