Hide your kids, the witches are coming for them….again.Varietyreports thatAnne Hathawayhas closed a deal to star as the Grand High Witch inRobert Zemeckis’The Witchesadaptation. Hathaway will take over the role originated byAnjelica HustoninNicolas Roeg’s 1990 adaptation – a performance that scarred a generation of children (including yours truly) with her embodiment of a grotesque child-hating witch.
Rumors of Hathaway’s involvement in the project have been going around for a few weeks, but Variety reports that the Oscar-winning actress is now officially on board. Now, those are some mighty big shoes to fill, but there’s no doubt Hathaway has the chops, and I’ve been dying to see her tap more into high camp ever since her deliciously weird read on the White Queen in Alice in Wonderland. We also got a little taste of it in last year’sOcean’s Eight, where Hathaway stole the show from a first-rate ensemble as the minxish Daphne Kluger.
Zemeckis will bring a new spin on Dahl’s fantasy classic by shaking up the setting of the source material. In a recent interview with French outletAllocine, Zemeckis revealed his adaptation will be an American period piece. “We’re going to set it in the Gothic South in the 1960s. It’s an exciting way to put a sociological spin on this kind of witch story.” TheBack to the FutureandForrest Gumpfilmmaker will write and direct for Warner Bros. withGuillermo Del ToroandAlfonso Cuaronproducing. Not too shabby.
The Witchesfollows a young boy who goes to live with his grandmother following the death of his parents and learns the truth about witches before he has a run-in with a real-life coven, hell-bent on transforming children into mice en masse with the help of poisoned chocolates. Per the report, Zemeckis' approach is “more rooted in the original source material” than the 1990s adaptation despite the new setting. Zemeckis could use a win after the misfireWelcome to Marwen, which arrived in theaters with a thud at the end of 2018.
Hathaway has a big year ahead of her.The actress co-stars alongsideMatthew McConaugheyinSerenity, which arrives in theaters this month. Next, she’ll be seen in theDirty Rotten Scoundrelsre-imaginingThe HustlealongsideRebel Wilson, andDee Rees' Netflix dramaThe Last Thing He Wanted.
