It’s the surprise news no one can stop talking about this morning: Robert Zemeckis’s remake of The Witches is coming to streaming. While experts ponder the potential political ramifications of all this, we’re here to bring you the trailer for Zemeckis’s new adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book, previously adapted by Nicolas Roeg starring Anjelica Huston in 1990. In this version, Anne Hathaway dons a vaguely German accent and some Joker makeup to play the Grand High Witch, with Octavia Spencer and Stanley Tucci in supporting roles and voice-over by Chris Rock. The totally natural and expected crew of Robert Zemeckis, Kenya Barris, and Guillermo del Toro all have credits on the screenplay, while Zemeckis seems to have really embraced the CGI possibilities here and thrown in a lot of spooky witch transformations and skittering kids turned rats. Originally scheduled to debut in theaters, the film is coming straight to HBO Max in the U.S. on October 22 before appearing in theaters internationally on October 28. If the the total absurdity of the travel isn’t already enough for you to process, please also enjoy the bonkers poster for The Witches below.
The Witches Trailer: Something Wicked (Anne Hathaway’s Accent) This Way Comes to HBO Max
Photo: HBO Max