The Warner Bros. remake of ‘The Witches,’ from director Robert Zemeckis, is currently eyeing to begin filming on April 29, in Georgia and Alabama. The United Kingdom will also be a shooting location. The setting of the film is Alabama during the year 1969.
Anne Hathaway will be playing the Grand High Witch, while Octavia Spencer is taking on the grandmother role.
Also, newcomers Jahzir Bruno and Codie-Lei Eastick are negotiations to come aboard the cast.
Based on the 1973 novel, the film follows a 7-year-old boy (Bruno) who has a run in with real-life witches. Warner Bros. had previously adapted the book in 1990 with Huston playing one of the title characters. But, Zemeckis’ version will be more rooted in the original source material. In comparison, the Huston film was a loose adaptation.
Should Bruno join, he would play the grandson of Spencer’s character. And if Eastick agrees, he would portray the other boy who runs into the titular Witches.
The screenplay of ‘The Witches’ is from Zemeckis, along with Kenya Barris (‘Black-ish,’ ‘Shaft’). Further, Zemeckis will be producing with Jack Rapke, Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro. A previous draft of the script was done by del Toro, back when he was developing the film as his next directing vehicle.
Warner Bros. has set the release date for October 16, 2020.