Here’s the bad news: Guillermo del Toro will not be directing Warner Bros. adaptation of The Witches, which is understandable, given that the man is attached to a ton of different projects. Now for the good news: Robert Zemeckis is taking the reins instead.
Roald Dahl’s The Witches, the story of a boy who must stop a coven of children-hating witches after they’ve turned him into a mouse, was adapted by the studio once before in 1990, with Anjelica Huston starring as the leader of the coven. Guillermo del Toro had been attached to a remake since the beginning of the decade, but he will now serve as a producer on the project alongside fellow Oscar winner Alfonso Cuaron.
Zemeckis, who recently completed work on his upcoming Steve Carell-starrer Welcome To Marwen, will also pen the script with his ImageMovers partner Jack Rapke lending a hand. The duo will also serve as fellow producers.
This marks the second high-profile Rpald Dahl adaptation on the slate for Warner Bros., who also have another remake of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, with Paddington filmmmaker Paul King attached to direct, on the docket.
We’ll have more information about Robert Zemeckis’ The Witches as it becomes available.