No Time to Die and Captain Marvel actor Lashana Lynch is rumored to have joined the cast of the upcoming Matilda the Musical movie adaption. She will be playing Miss Honey, the titular character’s kind and supportive teacher. 

Matilda has a long-lasting legacy, having originated as a Roald Dahl children’s novel before being adapted into a well-acclaimed fantasy movie in 1996 by Danny Devito. The general plot follows a young brainiac, Matilda Wormwood, who develops telekinesis and uses it to taunt her neglectful parents and oppressive school leader.

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In 2011, a British theater company, the Royal Shakespeare Company, premiered a musical adaption of the novel in London. Ever since, the musical has grown in popularity and has been performed all around the world. The production has secured many esteemed theater awards such as; seven Laurence Olivier Awards, five Tony Awards (including a Tony Honors for Excellence in Theater), and five Drama Desk Awards, among many others.

The Matilda the Musical movie adaptation has been in talks since 2013 after being casually brought up by the musical’s composer and lyricist Tim Muchin in an interview with an Australian radio show. He expressed, “There's a film that will probably be made in the next 4 or 5 years and all this sort of stuff.” Since then, in a blog post, the 1996 movie’s Matilda, Mara Wilson, has expressed interest in making a cameo in the movie. 

This will be the first singing-intensive role for British actor Lashana Lynch, who played Maria Rambeau alongside Brie Larson in Captain Marvel. However, her performance is well-anticipated as she is an alumna of an independent performing arts school that focuses on musical theater and drama acting, and she has received glowing reviews in both her stage and big-screen appearances. Joining her will be actor Ralph Fiennes who is a Shakespeare interpreter and has starred in top-tier productions like Schindler’s List and Harry Potter. He has been cast as Miss Trunchbull, a mean and hostile female headmaster who is traditionally played by a male onstage. The movie will upcycle the musical’s stage production team, having the director, playwright, and composer rearrange their original work to fit the big-screen production. 

While Matilda the Musical has no set release date and has offered through COVID-related production delays, it will be distributed worldwide by NetflixSony's TriStar Pictures will be handling the movie’s theatrical distribution throughout the U.K., there has been no announcement regarding theatrical releases elsewhere. 

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Source: The Hollywood Reporter