Not only has Netflix released the official trailer and poster for their upcoming re-imagining of a Roald Dahl classic, Matilda the Musical, but brand-new images, too! Starring Academy Award winner Emma Thompson as the formidable Miss Trunchbull and an up-and-coming young Alisha Weir as the magical Matilda, fans will get to experience a new take on the twisted whimsy of Dahl, once again, this holiday season.
Matilda the Musical, directed by Matthew Warchus and adapted by Dennis Kelly, is a Netflix presentation of the Tony-winning musical that tells the story of one of Dahl's most beloved characters. Bookish Matilda Wormwood is an extraordinary girl who uses her imagination and secret magical powers to make sense of the adult world around her. At Crunchem Hall, where the nasty Miss Trunchbull reigns supreme, Matilda makes use of her powers and ferocious spirit to fearlessly take a stand with her friends and the kind-hearted Miss Honey, played by Lashana Lynch, at her back.
The recently released images give us a closer look at Andrea Riseborough (Possessor) and Stephen Graham (Peaky Blinders) as the insufferable and slimy Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood, Matilda's parents. In the book and film directed by Danny Devito, Mr. Wormwood is a sleazy used-car salesman and his Bingo-enthusiast wife is an uninvolved mother to Matilda. In the images Riseborough and Graham look every bit the part as they lounge on their matching set of armchairs sharing a box of chocolates in their gaudy home. In contrast, the images show Lynch as the timid and sweet Miss Honey and a grinning Matilda.
What really takes center-stage, however, is an unrecognizable Thompson as the delusional Miss Trunchbull, Matilda's principal and arch-nemesis. As unpleasant as her name, Miss Trunchbull is, ironically, a child-hating principal who enacts vile punishments on her kids at the drop of a hat. The photos show Thompson tightly wound in full military-esque garb with what appears to be a hammer sheathed at her waist, ready to dish out unnecessary discipline.
The cast also includes Sindhu Vee as Mrs. Phelps, Charlie Hodson-Prior as the loveable Bruce Bogtrotter, Meesha Garbett as Hortensia, Rei Yamauchi Fulker as Matilda's best friend Lavender, Winter Jarrett Glasspool as the unfortunate Amanda Thripp, Andrei Shen as Eric and Ashton Robertson as Nigel.
Featuring original music and lyrics by composer and actor Tim Minchin, Matilda the Musical is produced by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title, as well as Jon Finn, and Luke Kelly of The Roald Dahl Story Company.
Matilda the Musical will be streaming on Netflix this December. Check out the rest of the images below:
