Strictly Come Dancing's Aljaž Škorjanec cast in Matilda movie adaptation
We might be a smidge late on this one, but dance pro Aljaž Škorjanec looks set to make his big-screen debut in the Matilda musical movie!
Alisha Weir (Darklands) will take on the lead role in the 2022 flick based on the stage production, joining a cast including Lashana Lynch as Miss Honey and Emma Thompson as Miss Trunchbull.
Slovenia-born Škorjanec has not specified his role in the upcoming movie, but if we were gambling people (and based on the set photos that ran in a few tabloids), we'd say was taking on the role of Mrs Wormwood's dance partner, the flamboyant and physically dextrous Rudolpho.
To cover our backs, we want to stress that this might be wrong, though we'd be surprised if the dance pro wasn't set for a stint at the Bi-Annual International Amateur Salsa and Ballroom Dancing Championships in Paris.
The Strictly Come Dancing star (who won the top prize on the show in 2013 alongside Abbey Clancy) has just kicked off his appearance in this year's run of the iconic series, after rocking The London Palladium in May in Here Come the Boys.
Last week 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.
Funnily enough, Thompson even visited the Strictly ballroom over the weekend, watching her co-star in action alongside 2021 partner entrepreneur Sara Davies.
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. 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.
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.
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.
