Because he sometimes enjoys finishing one movie while starting another (see Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List), Steven Spielberg is kicking off work on Roald Dahl adaptation The BFG even as he puts the final touches to Cold War thriller** Bridge Of Spies**. He’s now added Jemaine Clement, Penelope Wilton and Rebecca Hall to the cast.
And they’re not the only new additions, as David Adamthwaite, Daniel Bacon, Chris Gibbs, Adam Godley, Jonathan Holmes, Paul Moniz de Sa and Olafur Olafsson have all been hired to join Mark Rylance’s titular character, Ruby Barnhill as young heroine Sophie and Bill Hader, who is playing one of the less charming giants. While most of the other roles remain cloaked in mystery we do know that Wilton will be the Queen and Hall her maid. Royal Wilton: admit it, you knew it was headed that way.
Adapted by E.T.’s Melissa Mathison from Dahl’s beloved book, The BFG finds Sophie encountering the giant, who has made it his mission to collect good dreams and gift them to children while destroying nightmares and keeping his nasty fellow gigantic brethren from eating “human beans”.
"In more than 40 years of making movies, I have been on the producing end of a number of films for The Walt Disney Company, but never as a director," says Spielberg. "It is a special joy to be in the director's chair as we start The BFG, alongside my long-time friends and film collaborators Kathy Kennedy, who introduced me to this project, Frank Marshall and Melissa Mathison. Together with them and Disney, there are many reasons why I am so excited about this joint venture." The cameras are starting to roll now in Vancouver and the film will be out on July 22, 2016.