Double, double toil and trouble, Anne Hathaway's new role will fill '90s kid with lots of nostalgia — and possibly fear. Variety reports that Hathaway will star in The Witches remake, which will put a new twist on the 1990 film starring Anjelica Huston. It now seems as if it's Hathaway's turn to show her witchy side and let's assume scare a lot of kids in the process. (Bustle reached out to Warner Bros. for comment on the reported casting.)
According to Variety, Hathaway will star as the Grand High Witch in the Robert Zemeckis film based on Roald Dahl's classic 1983 novel where a 7-year-old boy and his grandma crosses path with real life witches at a witches convention. As her name implies, the Grand High Witch is the leader of the witches and no doubt, the baddest witch around. You definitely don't want to mess with her or she might turn you into a mouse.
Variety reported that "sources close to the project" said Zemeckis, who will direct, write, and co-produce the film with with Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro, is looking to make a version of the book that is "more rooted in the original source material." So yes, it's time to dig out your copy of The Witches to get a sense of what may be in store for this poor little boy.
In the original movie, a loose adaptation of the book, Huston's Grand High Witch was looking to terrorize human children. One way she does this is by trapping a little girl in an oil painting, who she then proceeds to taunt mercilessly. But honestly, the scariest moment in the original The Witches is when the witches peel off their faces to reveal the most terrifying layer underneath.
It'll be interesting to see if Hathaway – who hasn't confirmed her participation in the film via social media just yet – also has two faces in this adaptation of the novel, which features one of the best villains of all time. It's clearly a challenge to fill Huston's pointy shoes, but Hathaway seems ready for the challenge.
In fact, it's been rumored that she was circling The Witches role since last year, according to Deadline. Zemeckis' adaptation was first announced back in June. No release date has been given for the film, which feels like an interesting addition to Hathaway's already interesting resume, which last had her playing a vapid star in Ocean's 8. It was a role that showed she could both be menacing and hilarious, two things that might be a good combination for The Witches.
In fact, one fan named @itsryanithink thought taking on this evil Witches role was the best kind of glow-up. "Now this is the ultimate #10yearchallenge challenge," they wrote. "Anne Hathaway has gone from Queen of Genovia to Queen of the Witches in #TheWitches remake!"
For this new take on a classic, Hathaway will get a chance to create her own version of the evil Grand High Witch. Let's get ready to bow down to this queen. She may leave us all with nightmares, but it'll definitely be worth it.
