Hamilton star Carl Spencer joins Matilda movie
© Phil Sharp
Carl Spencer, who has appeared in Hamilton (John Laurens/Philip Hamilton), Motown (Marvin Gaye), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and Scottsboro Boys (Andy Wright), has joined the piece. Spencer will play the pivotal role of Magnus the Escapologist in the feature.
The stage show, based on Roald Dahl's book of the same name, is written by Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and direction by Matthew Warchus.
You can see Kelly and Minchin discuss the project here:
It tells of a super-powered girl who uses her new skills to help those around her, all the while trying to deal with the atrocious Miss Trunchbull.
Alisha Weir (Darklands) will take on the lead role in the 2022 flick based on the stage production, joining a cast including Lashana Lynch (No Time to Die) as Miss Honey and Emma Thompson (Love, Actually) as Miss Trunchbull. Also in the film will be Stephen Graham (Line of Duty) and Andrea Riseborough (The Death of Stalin) as Mr and Mrs Wormwood, while comedian Sindhu Vee will play librarian Mrs Phelps.
It is will be released theatrically in the UK by Sony Pictures, with a streamed release for other territories via Netflix. It will be released in cinemas in the UK on 22 December 2022, with a Netflix release set for the same month everywhere else.
Earlier this year it was revealed that Netflix had acquired the entire Roald Dahl story collection, with the intention of producing a raft of new work across platforms, including on-stage.
Matilda the Musical is playing in the West End if you want a theatre fix.
