Posted in: HBO, Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: Anjelica Houston, anne hathaway, chris rock, Grand High Witch, hbo max, roald dahl, robert zemeckis, stanley tucci, The Witches, The Witches (1990), The Witches (2020), Warner Bros
The Witches Trailer Released, Anne Hathaway Film Moves to HBO Max
One of the films that fell victim to the 2020 COVID pandemic was Warner Bros' The Witches, a remake of the 1990 film based on Roald Dahl's book of the same name published in 1983. The latest incarnation was initially slated to hit theatres on October 3 but quietly pulled from schedule amidst the outbreak. The Witches found a new home on HBO Max just in time for Halloween with WB releasing the trailer. The film will first make its way to the streamer on October 23 before releasing overseas theatrically on October 28.
"Darkly humorous and heartwarming tale of a young orphaned boy who, in late 1967, goes to live with his loving Grandma in the rural Alabama town of Demopolis. As the boy and his grandmother encounter some deceptively glamorous but thoroughly diabolical witches, she 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 has gathered her fellow cronies from around the globe—undercover—to carry out her nefarious plans."
Anne Hathaway will take over the role originally played by Anjelica Houston in the 1990 film as the Grand High Witch, which is revealed to turn the local children into mice so they all can be exterminated. The 1990 film, which was a mix of live-action and puppets from the Jim Henson Company, grossed a modest $10 million at the box office. It was directed by Nicolas Roeg with screenplay provided by Allan Scott. The current incarnation is directed by Robert Zemeckis with Kenya Barris and Guillermo del Toro doing their own spin on the Scott script. Joining Hathaway is another Oscar-winner in Octavia Spencer, Chris Rock, and Stanley Tucci.