You might have forgotten, but a few years ago DreamWorks tapped “E.T.“-writer Melissa Mathison to pen an adaptation of Roald Dahl‘s beloved “The BFG.” And that was pretty much the last we heard of the project, but now it has come roaring back into the spotlight with a choice of director that we probably should’ve guessed way back when.
Steven Spielberg is now attached to direct the live-action movie, the wheels of which are now turning quickly, with an early 2015 shoot and 2016 release being eyed. But THR also cautions that Spielberg may just squeeze in another movie before “The BFG,” and that the likeliest candidate would be the recently announced Cold War thriller starring Tom Hanks. If that’s the case, it would seem that projects like “Montezuma,” a possible “West Side Story” remake and religious drama “The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara” are all on the back burner for now.
As for “The BFG,” if you haven’t read Dahl’s wonderful book (and you should), it follows Sophie, a little girl who meets the titular Big Friendly Giant and helps him rid the land of fearsome man-eating giants.
This won’t be the first adaptation of the book, ITV released an animated version for U.K. TV back in 1989. So while we wait for more on Spielberg’s version, you can watch that previous iteration in full below.
