Emma Thompson to Play Miss Trunchbull in Matilda Musical Movie
(© David Gordon)
Emma Thompson will play Miss Trunchbull in the upcoming film adaptation of Matilda the Musical, helmed by original stage director Matthew Warchus and written by Dennis Kelly (screenplay) and Tim Minchin (score).
Thompson joins Lashana Lynch, who will play Miss Honey, as well as the newly announced Alisha Weir, who will take on the title role. The film will be released worldwide by Netflix, with the exception of the United Kingdom, where it will be distributed by TriStar Pictures.
Matilda the Musical, based on the popular children's book by Roald Dahl, opened on Broadway in 2013 and earned 12 Tony nominations, winning a trophy for book writer Kelly and a special honor for its four young stars. The Olivier-winning West End production was still running at the time of the shutdown.
In the stage version of Matilda, the role of Miss Trunchbull is usually played by a man. On screen, Thompson follows in the footsteps of Pam Ferris, who played the character in the 1996 motion picture adaptation of Dahl's novel.
