Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s most iconic children’s book and one of the best-selling children’s books of all time.

“Wonka” tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.

From Paul King, writer and director of the “Paddington” films, David Heyman, producer of “Harry Potter,” “Gravity,” “Fantastic Beasts” and “Paddington,” and producers Alexandra Derbyshire (the “Paddington” films, “Jurassic World: Dominion”) and Luke Kelly (“Roald Dahl’s The Witches”), comes an intoxicating mix of magic and music, mayhem and emotion, all told with fabulous heart and humor.

Starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role, this irresistibly vivid and inventive big screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time—proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.

Simon Farnaby (“Paddington 2”) & Paul King wrote the screenplay, based on a story by King and characters created by Roald Dahl. Michael Siegel, Cate Adams, Rosie Alison and Tim Wellspring are serving as executive producers. King’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Chung-Hoon Chung (“Last Night in Soho,” “Ah-ga-ssi”); Oscar-nominated production designer Nathan Crowley (“Tenet,” “Dunkirk”); editor Mark Everson (the “Paddington” films); Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (the “Paddington” films, “Topsy-Turvy”); and composer Joby Talbot (the “Sing” films). Neil Hannon of the band The Divine Comedy is writing original songs for the film.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents, in Association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Heyday Films Production, a Paul King Confection, “Wonka,” set to open in theaters and in IMAX internationally beginning in December 2023 and in North America on December 15, 2023; it will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

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The Roald Dahl Story Company has brought together Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok, The Mandalorian, Jojo Rabbit) and a host of global stars including Ryan Reynolds, Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Lupita Nyong’o, Sarah Paulson and Cara Delevingne to retell the beloved children’s novel James and the Giant Peach in full, across 10 episodes exclusively on the Roald Dahl YouTube channel.

The first two episodes of ‘JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH, WITH TAIKA AND FRIENDS’ are available globally NOW and features award-winning talent including Meryl Streep, Benedict Cumberbatch, Nick Kroll, and brothers Chris and Liam Hemsworth reading portions of the book from their homes.

New episodes will be published every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, with viewers able to expect appearances from a whole host of collaborators. The series promises many exciting and unexpected combinations, the biggest names in film, television, fashion and music coming together to perform each section of the tale.

The line-up of readers has over 40 Emmys, Grammys, Oscars and Tony award wins between them.

Among other surprise readers, the following stars will all read along with Taika over the course of 10 episodes: Utkarsh Ambudkar, Cate Blanchett, Jamie Cullum, Benedict Cumberbatch, Roman Griffin Davis, Cara Delevingne, Cynthia Erivo, Beanie Feldstein, Josh Gad, Chris Hemsworth, Liam Hemsworth, Mindy Kaling, Nick Kroll, Kumail Nanjiani, Lupita Nyong’o, Sarah Paulson, Billy Porter, Gordon Ramsay, Eddie Redmayne, Ryan Reynolds, Ben Schwartz, Meryl Streep, Tessa Thompson, Olivia Wilde, Ruth Wilson and Archie Yates.

The collaboration between the Roald Dahl Story Company, Waititi and his illustrious line up of friends aims to raise money for Partners In Health, a medical and social justice organization fighting COVID-19 and supporting public health systems in some of the most vulnerable communities around the world.

The Roald Dahl Story Company has committed to matching $1 Million of donations, with other donors lined up for matching beyond this milestone. People can donate to Partners In Health by visiting www.pih.org

The campaign forms part of a long-term charitable commitment for the Roald Dahl Story Company who recently donated $1.3 million to Partners In Health for maternal health in Sierra Leone. Overall, The Roald Dahl Story Company and Dahl Family have given over $12 million to date to charitable causes.

The Roald Dahl Story Company will also be supporting their other core charity partners at this challenging time – including Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity in the UK, who provide specialist nurses to seriously ill children and whose important work for the UK’s National Health Service requires support now more than ever.

Waititi was recently announced as the writer, director and executive producer of two original Roald Dahl animated series for Netflix as part of an extended raft of animated Roald Dahl TV. Waititi will develop an original series based on the world and characters of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and develop an original show centred on the Oompa-Loompas.

Filmmaker and Host of ‘JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH, WITH TAIKA AND FRIENDS’, Taika Waititi said: “Being an adult child myself and having read James and the Giant Peach to my girls multiple times, I’m excited to be able to partner with my friends, the Dahl team and Partners In Health and re-tell this story to help those most in need right now. This wacky, wonderful tale is about resilience in children, triumph over adversity and dealing with a sense of isolation which couldn’t been more relevant today.”

Luke Kelly, Managing Director of The Roald Dahl Story Company said: “ Roald Dahl’s stories are about the power and importance of kindness – and as a business we believe in enacting that ethos. That’s why we support the critical work of charities such as Partners In Health who are working on the front line in the fight against Covid-19.

“We are so delighted to be able to support this re-telling of James and the Giant Peach and not only bring a moment of joy and escapism to children and families at this very tough time – but also to raise vital funds for Partners in Health

“We’re incredibly grateful and excited to have Taika and so many incredible stars taking part. We can’t wait for people to see what we’ve got in store – it’s going to be absolutely GIGANTIC fun” .

Ophelia Dahl, Roald Dahl’s daughter and Founder of Partners In Health, said: “My dad instilled in us as kids the notion that imagination will spark a chain reaction of possibilities — we can dream endlessly about ideas and make them real. This early training meant it was not such a leap to envision Partners in Health with my friends. Roald was one of our earliest and most enthusiastic supporters and never let me leave for Haiti without stuffing a massive wad of cash in my hand to put towards the next project. You can see from his stories that he always supported the most vulnerable and those excluded from opportunity. PIH was the perfect match.

We know from experience that the impact of this virus will be felt most by vulnerable communities around the world. But with more than three decades experience in community-based health care, including responses to epidemics and outbreaks such as Ebola, cholera and tuberculosis; we know how to fight this. “And JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH, WITH TAIKA AND FRIENDS will raise critical funds that will allow Partners In Health to invest in local health systems that deliver high-quality, dignified care to fight this disease. We’re so grateful to Taika Waititi and the Roald Dahl Story Company for pulling together this extraordinary initiative and amazing array of talent. It will undoubtedly help in the fight against the long-standing health inequities we see in many parts of the world. Thank you for your generosity.”

The first two episodes are available to view NOW exclusively on Roald Dahl YouTube channel.

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The post Taika Waititi teams up w. Roald Dahl appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Principal photography has begun on “The Witches,” a fantastical adventure from Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis (“Forrest Gump”), starring Oscar winners Anne Hathaway (“Les Misérable,” “Ocean’s 8”) and Octavia Spencer (“The Help,” “The Shape of Water”), Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci (“The Hunger Games” films, “The Lovely Bones”), and award-winning comedy legend Chris Rock. Newcomer Jahzir Kadeem Bruno (TV’s “Atlanta”) also stars, alongside Codie-Lei Eastick.

Reimagining Dahl’s beloved story for a modern audience, Zemeckis’s visually innovative “The Witches” tells the darkly humorous and heartwarming tale of a young orphaned boy (Bruno) who, in late 1967, goes to live with his loving Grandma (Spencer) in the rural Alabama town of Demopolis. The boy and his grandmother come across some deceptively glamorous but thoroughly diabolical witches, so Grandma wisely whisks our young hero away to an opulent seaside resort. Regrettably, they arrive at precisely the same time that the world’s Grand High Witch (Hathaway) has gathered her fellow cronies from around the globe—undercover—to carry out her nefarious plans.

Roald Dahl

The screenplay is by Guillermo Del Toro and Robert Zemeckis & Kenya Barris (upcoming “Shaft”), based on the book by Roald Dahl. Zemeckis also produces, alongside Jack Rapke, Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron and Luke Kelly. Serving as executive producers on the film are Michael Siegel, Gideon Simeloff, Marianne Jenkins and Jackie Levine.

Zemeckis’s behind-the-scenes team includes a roster of his frequent collaborators, including Oscar-nominated director of photography Don Burgess (“Forrest Gump”), production designer Gary Freeman, Editor Jeremiah O’Driscoll, and Oscar-nominated costume designer Joanna Johnston (“Allied,” “Lincoln”).

An Image Movers Production, a Necropia / Experanto Filmoj Production, “The Witches” is filming at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in the UK. It is currently scheduled for theatrical release on October 15th, 2020 in New Zealand and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

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The BFG is as dreamy and magical as you’d think it is. Bringing the Roald Dahl classic to the big screen was never going to be an easy fleet but when you get the likes of Steven Spielberg as Director, you know it’s going to be in the right hands.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the children’s classic, The BFG tells the story of Sophie who accidentally runs into contact with a big friendly giant. Hesitant at first, the two soon become friends. Unfortunately, though, things aren’t smooth sailing and the BFG’s fellow giants prefer to eat children rather than take them in.

Even as the years go on, I still find myself watching the screen in awe as CGI continues to get better and better. The details such as facial expressions taken from Mark Rylance’s performance were beautiful to take in especially when you’re familiar with the amount of effort that goes into making such a thing possible.

The BFG may be PG rated, by it most certainly can be for adults and children alike. Its narrative may be a bit simplistic for the harsh critic but we do need to remember it’s a story acceptable for children. From my own perspective, the best children’s or family films are the ones that can maintain the interest from both the child and the adult because at the end of the day, adults are the one’s making the film so they can see it from their perspective.

As the minority, I went into The BFG with no prior knowledge of the book. This could either have been a good thing or a bad thing. After seeing the film, I can concur that it was a good thing. With fresh eyes, I was able to see the film as it was, a film. I could have looked ahead and predicted the narrative or see where things were going but I didn’t want to and I’m glad I didn’t have any audience expectations.

Newbie Ruby Barnhill played ten-year-old Sophie and easily held the story alongside her companion the BFG. The character of Sophie is an orphan which made her as tough as nails. Throughout the film her sassy and confident lines were delivered brilliantly by Ruby Barnhill and I look forward to seeing more of her projects in the future.

The other star is, no doubt, The BFG. Played by Mark Rylance, the BFG is an incredibly sweet and harmful giant who can be straight forward if he wants to but ultimately just wants to do his job well, that job being to collect dreams.

The BFG is a tale of friendship and imagination. Perhaps a bit too predictable for the older generation, The BFG can entertain its audience with a charming story about a lonely girl and her companion the giant.

*Check out my personal Blog for more Movie and TV goodness HERE.