Hey guys! Horrorella here...
It looks like Steven Spielberg has found his giant. Deadline reports that three-time Tony Award-winner Mark Rylance has joined the cast of THE BFG, in the role of none other than the Giant himself.
The film will adapt Roald Dahl's 1982 children's book, The BFG, which tells the story of a little girl who teams up with this friendly giant, as well as the Queen of England to stop a group of evil, man-eating giants who have invaded the human world.
Spielberg appears to have the utmost confidence in Rylance in the role; the two are also working together on a currently-untitled cold war thriller, co-starring Tom Hanks,
“As I witnessed on stage, Mark Rylance is a transformational actor,” Spielberg said in a statement. “I am excited and thrilled that Mark will be making this journey with us to Giant Country. Everything about his career so far is about making the courageous choice and I’m honored he has chosen The BFG as his next big screen performance.”
The casting has also received approval from the late author's family. Says Dahl's grandson, Luke Kelly, who is Managing Director of the Roald Dahl Literary Estate,
“We are ecstatic at this choice. Mark is incredibly talented, one of the great British actors working today. I’ve had the privilege of seeing Mark perform, and the thought of watching him transform into ‘the only nice and jumbly Giant in Giant Country’ is, as The BFG himself might say, absolutely phizz-whizzing.”
THE BFG, which was written by E.T. scribe Melissa Mathison, is set to begin filming next year, with a release date of July 1, 2016.
