Lately, filmmaker Robert Zemeckis has been sticking to films aimed more at adults, such as “The Walk,” “Flight,” and the upcoming “Welcome to Marwen.” However, we can’t forget that Zemeckis is the guy who brought us such family films like “Back to the Future,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” and “The Polar Express.” And it appears that his next project is going to bring the director back to his family-friendly ways.
Variety is reporting that Zemeckis has signed on to direct an adaptation of the classic Roald Dahl book “The Witches.” If you’re one of those “children of the ‘90s” you might remember that actress Angelica Huston starred in the 1990 version of the film. However, Variety reports that Zemeckis’ adaptation will differ from the 1990 film greatly, and be based more on the source material.
“The Witches” follows a young boy who meets real-life witches. As you might imagine, hijinks ensue. Zemeckis is writing the film but has some all-star talent producing beside him. The report says that Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo del Toro are also on board the project as producers. Del Toro had been in the running to direct “The Witches,” but had to step aside when a scheduling conflict arose.
As mentioned above, before Zemeckis can begin work on “The Witches,” he’s putting the finishing touches on his next film “Welcome to Marwen.” That film has a lot of buzz surrounding it, as it stars perennial awards-contender Steve Carell and is based on the real-life story that was chronicled in the amazing doc “Marwencol.” That film hits theaters November 21.
No word yet on a release date for “The Witches,” but with the combined efforts of Zemeckis, del Toro, and Cuaron, you better believe we’ll be keeping a close eye on this project.