Netflix has released the trailer for the upcoming film adaptation of the award-winning musical “Matilda,” based on the beloved novel by Roald Dahl. “Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical” stars Alisha Weir as Matilda Wormwood, a gifted bookworm who is misunderstood by her cruel parents (played by Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough) and her villainous headmistress Miss Trunchbull (a nearly unrecognizable Emma Thompson).
The trailer opens with Matilda’s daydream that she’s floating through the crowds, miles away from her awful parents. “Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was trapped,” she narrates. “This is the story of her great escape.”
Matilda’s luck seems to change when her teacher Miss Honey (Lashana Lynch) takes an interest in her, encouraging her to use her imagination and read the books she loves despite her family’s disapproval. However, Crunchem Hall’s headmistress is running the school like a prison, complete with surveillance cameras and corporal punishment. To everyone’s shock, it’s Matilda who stands up to her, making a formidable enemy.
In addition to snippets of the musical numbers, the trailer gives a sneak peek into some of the story’s most famous scenes – including pigtail-swinging and yes, a truly giant chocolate cake.
Matthew Warchus, who won a Tony for directing “Matilda the Musical,” returns to direct the film version, with Dennis Kelly adapting the Royal Shakespeare Company’s script. Original music and lyrics are by Tim Minchin. Producers are Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan produced for Working Title, Jon Finn, and Luke Kelly of The Roald Dahl Story Company.
The film opened London Film Festival last week and will premiere on Netflix Dec. 25 and will be playing in select theaters on Dec. 9 in the U.S. Sony Pictures UK and TriStar Pictures, which holds theatrical rights to the film in the U.K. and Ireland, will release it in theaters on November 25.
Check out the trailer above or here.
