Emma Thompson’s ‘Matilda’ Movie Musical: Everything to Know

Credit: Dan Smith/Netflix © 2022

Emma Thompson’s ‘Matilda’ Movie Musical: Everything to Know

Little bitty pretty one! A musical movie adaptation of Matilda is coming to Netflix. The new film stars Emma Thompson as Miss Trunchbull and Alisha Weir, who is set to lead as the title character. Matilda Wormwood, who is extremely intelligent and has been neglected by her parents, ends up with telekinetic powers through her love of reading. She teams up with her teacher, Miss Honey, to take down the malicious principal, Miss Trunchbull. The 1996 film Matilda, directed and produced by Danny DeVito, was a hit then, and continues to be 26 years later. Mara Wilson, who was only 9 years old at the time, played the lead role of Matilda. She went on to win the YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy Film in 1997. Embeth Davidtz played Miss Honey, Pam Ferris played Miss Trunchbull, and Rhea Perlman and DeVito rounded out the cast as Mrs. and Mr. Wormwood, respectively. The popular musical of Matilda later made its debut in 2011 and was adapted by Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and stage direction by Matthew Warchus. The three will all be involved in the Netflix movie. Matilda the Musical has a renowned reputation, receiving seven Olivier Awards in 2012, including Best New Musical, along with five Tony Awards in 2013. The musical originated in London, and is still being performed today. In 2013, Matilda expanded to Broadway and ran until 2017. Netflix announced in 2021 that the new film will be released in December 2022. The streaming service is teaming up with Sony to incorporate the West End musical of Matilda, which was based on Roald Dahl’s classic novel from 1988. Scroll to see everything we know about the new Netflix project: [podcast_block]

Credit: Dan Smith/Netflix © 2022

Emma Thompson’s ‘Matilda’ Movie Musical: Everything to Know

Little bitty pretty one! A musical movie adaptation of Matilda is coming to Netflix. The new film stars Emma Thompson as Miss Trunchbull and Alisha Weir, who is set to lead as the title character. Matilda Wormwood, who is extremely intelligent and has been neglected by her parents, ends up with telekinetic powers through her love of reading. She teams up with her teacher, Miss Honey, to take down the malicious principal, Miss Trunchbull. The 1996 film Matilda, directed and produced by Danny DeVito, was a hit then, and continues to be 26 years later. Mara Wilson, who was only 9 years old at the time, played the lead role of Matilda. She went on to win the YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy Film in 1997. Embeth Davidtz played Miss Honey, Pam Ferris played Miss Trunchbull, and Rhea Perlman and DeVito rounded out the cast as Mrs. and Mr. Wormwood, respectively. The popular musical of Matilda later made its debut in 2011 and was adapted by Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and stage direction by Matthew Warchus. The three will all be involved in the Netflix movie. Matilda the Musical has a renowned reputation, receiving seven Olivier Awards in 2012, including Best New Musical, along with five Tony Awards in 2013. The musical originated in London, and is still being performed today. In 2013, Matilda expanded to Broadway and ran until 2017. Netflix announced in 2021 that the new film will be released in December 2022. The streaming service is teaming up with Sony to incorporate the West End musical of Matilda, which was based on Roald Dahl’s classic novel from 1988. Scroll to see everything we know about the new Netflix project: [podcast_block]

Credit: Dan Smith/Netflix © 2022

Who's in the Cast?

Alisha Weir will play the lead role of Matilda. She has also starred in the horror movie Don't Leave Home and the series Darklands.

“I am delighted to be playing the role of ‘Matilda’ in Matilda the movie musical which will be on Netflix. I am so excited to get started !!! Thank you so much to everyone for all your nice comments I am so happy 💕💕💕 #matilda#netflix#sony#movie#musical#alishaweir,” the 11-year-old posted on Instagram in January 2021.

Lashana Lynch will play Matilda’s warm and kind teacher, Miss Honey. Lynch has had several major roles over the last couple of years, including her role as Maria Rameau in Captain Marvel in 2019. Most recently, the Londoner starred in the latest James Bond film, No Time to Die, playing the first Black 007 female agent.

“As a Black woman, a Londoner and an immigrant, I’m never going to be comfortable choosing a role that is going to make my culture question anything. I’ve taken it on as my responsibility to ensure that my generation and those coming after me know that there was a point at which something happened for the first time,” the actress told Elle UK in 2020.

Emma Thompson, meanwhile, will be starring as the tyrannical and intimidating headmistress Miss Trunchbull in the new variation of Matilda. The British actress has made a name for herself with some iconic roles, such as her appearances in Last Christmas and Years and Years. She was also a part of the Cruella cast as the Baroness.

Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough have been cast as Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood and comedian Sindhu Vee will play the librarian Mrs. Phelps.

Credit: Dan Smith/Netflix © 2022

When will it debut?

The film will be released on Netflix in December 2022, after the official release of the movie in cinemas in the UK.

Credit: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Who is the director?

Matthew Warchus will be returning as the director of the film. He was also the director of the original musical production for Matilda on Broadway.

“Matilda will be an imaginative and fresh retelling of the award-winning musical, featuring talented young newcomers, alongside established stars. I look forward to introducing this beloved and powerful story to a new generation of fans around the world,” the director told Variety in January 2021.

Warchus won a Tony and Olivier Award for his award-winning work in the Broadway musical. Dennis Kelly, the original playwright, will adapt the screenplay.

Credit: Dan Smith/Netflix © 2022

What’s the plot?

The story follows a little girl with an out-of-this-world imagination and curiosity that leads her in an extraordinary direction. Although she faces many obstacles, such as her horrid parents and terrifying principal, she finds the light in everything she does and especially through books – even leading her to develop powers. She teams up with her perfect teacher, Miss Honey, to invoke revenge on the evil Miss Trunchbull and make things right.

Credit: Dan Smith/Netflix © 2022

What will the music be?

The music played in the movie will include original music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, a well-known comedian and musician. The studio producing the film, Working Title Films, is famous for producing other fantastic musicals such as Les Miserables and Cats.