It was nearly a year ago today that I first posted about the long-gestating film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s THE BFG, and today comes the very first trailer. From Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, the film is produced in part by Kathleen Kennedy (along with Spielberg, Frank Marshall and Sam Mercer), whom I spoke with on Sunday while attending the press event for her next film, STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS. Kennedy explained that she’d worked on developing this with Director Spielberg for years – and that it was shortly after her acceptance of the Lucasfilm gig that he finally revisited the script and decided to give it a “go.” Check out the magical new trailer below, and look for more on THE BFG and my interview with Kennedy coming very soon…
“The BFG is something that I had spent years off and on developing. Many, many, years. And I must say many, many conversations with Steven (Spielberg) who I kept saying, ‘This is really right for you.’ And then, of course, within I would say a month after I decided to take over Lucasfilm he called me up and he goes, ‘You know, I read the script again and I really wanna make the movie.’ And I was, like, ready to go through the phone and strangle him! But not only having Steven involved in this but the fact that technology has caught up with making the film, is really quite spectacular. What he’s doing with this is gonna be pretty mind-blowing and very emotional. And sadly we had Melissa Mathison pass away, recently. She wrote the script and she did E.T. and so I think people are going to be incredibly pleased with how this movie turns out.” — Kathleen Kennedy
Disney’s THE BFG:
The talents of three of the world’s greatest storytellers – Roald Dahl, Walt Disney and Steven Spielberg –finally unite to bring Dahl’s beloved classic “The BFG” to life. Directed by Spielberg, Disney’s “The BFG” tells the imaginative story of a young girl and the Giant who introduces her to the wonders and perils of Giant Country. The BFG (Mark Rylance), while a giant himself, is a Big Friendly Giant and nothing like the other inhabitants of Giant Country. Standing 24-feet tall with enormous ears and a keen sense of smell, he is endearingly dim-witted and keeps to himself for the most part. Giants like Bloodbottler (Bill Hader) and Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) on the other hand, are twice as big and at least twice as scary and have been known to eat humans, while the BFG prefers Snozzcumber and Frobscottle. Upon her arrival in Giant Country, Sophie, a precocious 10-year-old girl from London, is initially frightened of the mysterious giant who has brought her to his cave, but soon comes to realize that the BFG is actually quite gentle and charming, and, having never met a giant before, has many questions. The BFG brings Sophie to Dream Country where he collects dreams and sends them to children, teaching her all about the magic and mystery of dreams. Having both been on their own in the world up until now, their affection for one another quickly grows, but Sophie’s presence in Giant Country has attracted the unwanted attention of the other giants, who have become increasingly more bothersome. Sophie and the BFG soon depart for London to see the Queen (Penelope Wilton) and warn her of the precarious giant situation, but they must first convince the Queen and her maid, Mary (Rebecca Hall), that giants do indeed exist. Together, they come up with a plan to get rid of the giants once and for all.
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