Del Toro and Cuaron team up for Witches.

[green]

http://aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=23375


Guillermo and Alfonso tackling Roald Dahl's THE WITCHES!!!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a bit of interesting news. I remember reading Roald Dahl's THE WITCHES in Elementary School and watching the Nicolas Roeg film afterwards. I've got quite a soft spot for that flick. Angelica Huston was creepy as all hell. I also don't remember the movie being radically different from the book apart from the happier ending, but I do admit my memory of the book is fairly hazy at this point.
It was announced today that Guillermo del Toro is adapting Roald Dahl's book, THE WITCHES, for Warner Bros. with an eye to direct. He's teaming up with Alfonso Cuaron, who will produce the flick. Like I said above, I'm still a fan of the original attempt at a movie, but the idea of seeing that story done through the warped lens of del Toro makes me smile. Who should play the Grand High Witch? No one is jumping immediately to mind... I keep thinking of Huston... Whoever it is will have some might big, square-toed shoes to fill. What do you folks think?




Personally Id prefer Cuaron directing, still sounds good though...

 

[Carmine Falcone]

Awesome. On of Dahl's greatest books. Definitely deserves another adaptation after the **** up they released in 1990.

 

[black_dust]

The orignal one scared me as a kid dam scanky woman with wigs

 

[BruceforLizard]

ANother Remake UGH

 

[Carmine Falcone]

The witches deserves to have a good adaption.

 

[Orko Is King]

To this day, I fear Angelica Huston. How was the original movie different from the book? I've never read it?

 

[KenK]

Spoiler

I guess Luke never became human again in the book, as Dahl hated the film's ending for that reason.

 

[Watson]

The witches is a go!!!

Del Toro to Remake 'The Witches'

by Jessica Barnes Dec 1st 2008 // 7:02PM
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Warner Brothers, Scripts, Family Films, DIY/Filmmaking

It never fails to amuse me whenever parents get all worked up about an occasional f-bomb or a flash of boob, but show 'em a story about child genocide peppered with mild misogyny and presto -- you've got a children's classic! Almost two years ago, it was announced that Guillermo Del Toro and Alfonso Cuarón would be taking on an update of Roald Dahl's The Witches, and it was originally reported that Cuarón was going to direct. Now, though, it seems like things have changed, and Empire has broken the news (in an interview with Cuarón) that Del Toro has not only finished the screenplay, but will also be taking the helm for the fantasy update.


Dahl's original story centered on a conspiracy of witches looking to rid the world of children (great bedtime story, huh?), and received the feature film treatment once before. But, that hasn't stopped the studio from going ahead with a brand new version of the dark children's tale, and by the sounds of it, there are going to be plenty of changes in Del Toro's update. Cuarón told Empire, "It won't be like the original Nicolas Roeg version, which was a beautiful film," because (and this is the very exciting part), Del Toro plans to "do it completely in stop-motion animation."



When Nicolas Roeg's version was released back in 1990, a few changes were made to make the story a little less disturbing for the kiddies (including a much lower body count). But for you purists out there, at least we can rely on the fact that at least Del Toro isn't afraid to play rough with kids on the big screen.



Sound off below, and tell us what you think about Del Toro's plan for the 'kiddie-killing' update...

http://www.cinematical.com/2008/12/01/del-toro-to-remake-the-witches/

This has just become one of my most highly anticipated upcoming films. I think this is going to be fantastic!

 

[Apollo]

yea i remember there was an older movie about this, i think i saw part of it as it a kid, but can't remember...i don't think is was any good anyways...Great Del Toro is doing it, it seems to be up his ally.

 

[Watson]

yea i remember there was an older movie about this, i think i saw part of it as it a kid, but can't remember...i don't think is was any good anyways...Great Del Toro is doing it, it seems to be up his ally.

Not nearly as good as the book, though I remember being pretty freaked by the other one as a 4 year old. But I completely agree, Del Toro will be perfect. And that they are doing it in stop motion is really exciting.

 

[Vapor]

I liked the movie as a kid and a stop motion take sounds ineresting, especially with Del Toro and Cuaron on board..

Personally I wouldn't mind a live action 'The Twits' film with Depp and Bonham Carter as The Twits as well as a stop motion Enormous Crocodile.

 

[SatEL]

The original movie was awesome for what it was but hey if this is good I will see it.

 

[The Guard]

Ok, is Del Toro booked through 2030 or something?

 

[Carmine Falcone]

Spoiler

I guess Luke never became human again in the book, as Dahl hated the film's ending for that reason.

Yeah, that's true. [BLACKOUT]In the book Luke and his grandma become bonafide Witch- hunters and they cruise the earth to kill 'em all.[/BLACKOUT] In the movie a good witch or something makes Luke human again, which is extremely dumb since Dahl pretty much establishes the Witches as the ultimate incarnation as evil.

Personally I wouldn't mind a live action 'The Twits' film

Oh hell yeah.

 

[rashad]

Nice to see a remake in the hands of the right people for a change.

 

[Octoberist]

I wish that they would do other books, besides the Witches. Like The Phantom Tollbooth.

 

[Drizzle]

Personally I wouldn't mind a live action 'The Twits' film with Depp and Bonham Carter as The Twits as well as a stop motion Enormous Crocodile.

Yes. Yes. A thousand times, yes. Though maybe not with Depp and Bonham Carter.

 

[Watson]

I wish more Dahl books would make decent transitions to the big screen. The only one I have ever really liked was the musical Willy Wonka, and Dahl didn't even like that one.

I would love love love to see the BFG as a CGI or animated movie. I think the story really lends itself to the medium.

 

[Carmine Falcone]

I wish more Dahl books would make decent transitions to the big screen.

Same here.

I think Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is an excellent adaptation, a nice mixture of stuff from the book and new ideas and still with that Dahl feeling.

And don't forget the upcoming film of The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Wes Anderson. Dying to see how that turns out, haven't read the book in ages though...

I would love love love to see the BFG as a CGI or animated movie. I think the story really lends itself to the medium.

Yeah, that's a perfect one for a film. David Kelly for the Giant I say.

 

[The Joker]

I'm all for this remake. I love the original, but it was missing several great things from the book. And it was a little too campy in some scenes.

It will be hard to top Anjelica Huston, though. She was perfectly cast as the Grand High Witch.

 

[Carmine Falcone]

I gotta agree, the original is pretty cool, especially the Witch make-up and the Jim Henson mice, but like you said, misses alot of great stuff.

I can already imagine the final shot of this remake. A slow-motion shot of a crooked old granny with a shotgun and a tiny white mouse on her shoulder while a Witch castle (or something like that) explodes in the background. Ofcourse, there's nothing like that in the book, but that's how I'd end the movie.

 

[gwynplaine]

I wish that they would do other books, besides the Witches. Like The Phantom Tollbooth.

Me too.

 

[Watson]

And don't forget the upcoming film of The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Wes Anderson. Dying to see how that turns out, haven't read the book in ages though...

Isn't that one going to be stop motion as well?

 

[nite-owl]

Isn't that one going to be stop motion as well?

Yes it is.

 

[Carmine Falcone]

Yeah, and it's voiced by George Clooney, Cate Blanchett and Bill Murray and maybe some more Anderson regulars (IMDB lists Jason Schwartzman and Anjelica Huston, but I don't know if that's true. since it's IMDB) So it should be sweet.