Robert Zemeckis is set to direct a new version of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book The Witches for Warner Bros.
Variety confirms Zemeckis is in final negotiations with the studio to direct the flick, which was last adapted in 1990 by Nicholas Roeg and starred Anjelica Huston. Zemeckis will write the script with his partner Jack Rapke. Rapke will co-produce along with Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo del Toro, the latter of whom was originally attached to direct, but had to step down due to scheduling conflicts.
The Witches focuses on a 7-year-old boy and his grandmother who run into real-life witches while staying in a hotel in England. Variety’s sources say that Zemeckis’ adaptation will be closer to its source material than the (still absolutely terrifying) 1990 original was.
Source: IGN.com Robert Zemeckis to Direct New Version of Roald Dahl's The Witches