New Matilda movie in works from director of West End musical
The announcement of a casting call for children aged nine to 11, “no taller than 4ft 3in”, has confirmed that a film of Roald Dahl’s Matilda is in the works. It will be directed by Matthew Warchus, who staged the hit musical adaptation for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford in 2010. Matilda has since become one of the longest-running musicals in the West End.
According to the advertisement, the movie – produced by Working Title Films – will be shot from August to December. The character description for the telekinetic bookworm heroine states: “Matilda is not quick to smile, nor sentimental … She has had quite a tough life so far, and not much help from the adults around her; she is able to meet her own needs quite proficiently, she is a survivor.” No acting experience is required from hopeful candidates, “just an instinctive approach to speaking text with an inquisitive mind, a good singing voice and some movement skills”.
The musical, with songs by Tim Minchin including the showstopper When I Grow Up, was adapted from Roald Dahl’s bestselling novel by Dennis Kelly. Dahl’s book has already been adapted as a movie: in 1996, Danny DeVito directed a version starring Mara Wilson in the title role. DeVito narrated the film and played Matilda’s despicable father, Mr Wormwood, with DeVito’s wife, Rhea Perlman, playing the equally awful Mrs Wormwood.
Kerry Ingram (Shireen Baratheon in Game of Thrones) and Cleo Demetriou (So Awkward) are among the actors who played Matilda in the musical in the UK. The show also triumphed on Broadway and toured to Australia, New Zealand and China. Its first non-English language production was in Seoul, South Korea, in 2018.
