How does one go about following-up a serious, possibly Oscar-nominated Cold War drama like Bridge of Spies? If you're Steven Spielberg the answer is to go completely in the opposite direction and adapt a popular children's story. Spielberg's adaptation of Roald Dahl's beloved book, The BFG, is already far enough along that the first teaser trailer has been released, and it looks like the kind of film he hasn't made in quite some time.
Starring Bridge of Spies' Mark Rylance as the titular "Big Friendly Giant", the story centers on his friendship with the precocious Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) and their attempts to save London from meaner, scarier giants that eat humans. Bill Hader and Jemaine Clement voice two of the nasty creatures, while Penelope Wilton plays Queen Victoria and Rebecca Hall is her maid who must be convinced giants are real. Here's the full synopsis:
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 Queen Victoria (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.
Spielberg, who will be working with live-action 3D for the first time, is also reuniting with writer Melissa Mathison, who he hasn't worked with since E.T. the Extraterrestrial. The BFG opens on July 1st 2016.
