I’ve started to shy away from doing posts about movie press releases because it seems like everyone and anyone is posting the same information the second the press release email is sent out. Right now, I’m watching the hashtag #TheBFGMovie fly through my twitter stream as everyone tries to disseminate the latest news as fast as possible. I grew tired of trying to beat the others posting the information and, to be quite frank, I wasn’t receiving anything in return for posting (save for one free press screening pass a year) and there are several releases in my inbox every day from every studio out there. It got to be too much.
But there’s something about this movie that makes me forget all of that.
You see, The BFG isn’t just a book to me. It’s my childhood contained in 208 pages. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read the book. In fact, I still have my third copy of The BFG in my office to this day (I wore through the first two copies.) I’ve re-read it as an adult several times and, once we finish The Witches, I’ll be reading it to my daughter.
I used to lay under my covers, flashlight in hand, imagining I was Sophie in her dormitory, listening to the sounds of The Witching Hour. I could imagine trying a snozzcumber and I’d keep little containers around my room…dreams I’d catch in jars.
Roald Dahl’s books were magic. They entranced me and I loved each and every one. Although I learned later in life that Dahl was kind of a jerk in real life (there’s quite a bit of time spent on describing his character in the advertising tell-all book Mad Women: The Other Side of Life on Madison Avenue in the ’60s and Beyond and none if it is endearing), he’s still my favorite children’s author to this day. Sorry, JK. I love you and Harry, but Dahl wins.
This leaves me guarded over my enthusiasm over The BFG being made into a major motion picture. The BFG was Dahl’s favorite work and it’s been a childhood favorite of so many since 1982.
The Witches, another Dahl favorite, was very well done. It was very English and they didn’t shy away from making the story a little terrifying and grotesque (Dahl was said to have hated the upbeat ending of the film version and wanted to be disassociated with the project when it was chosen.) I wasn’t a huge fan of the adaptations of Matilda (I didn’t like transplanting the story into America and some of the plot changes, although DeVito did do a commendable job) and James and the Giant Peach. I do admit to not seeing Fantastic Mr. Fox, but I have it on my must-watch list. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, while a brilliant film and one of my all-time favorites, was not true enough to the book to really make a comparison (the Johnny Depp version was just…bizarre, although did follow storylines a tad bit closer, even if the Burton-esque touch was a tad bit heavy handed.)
Today, it was announced that newcomer Ruby Barnhill has been cast as Sophie (isn’t she adorable?) I trust Stephen Spielberg’s judgement when it comes to casting, especially knowing his penchant for making movies whimsical and he seems to be able to capture not only the hearts and imaginations of children, but isn’t afraid to throw in the scary stuff, too.
I can only hope they are making Ruby blonde for the role, reminiscent of Quentin Blake’s illustrations. Sophie will always be the tiny blonde girl with thick bangs and large-rimmed glasses wearing a dressing gown of pink.
Mark Rylance has been cast as the title character: The Big, Friendly Giant.
Are you a Dahl fan? How do you feel about the upcoming BFG movie?
DreamWorks Studios’ film is slated for a July 1, 2016 release, with filming to begin in “early 2015.”
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