Steven Spielberg excited about directing a Walt Disney film

The BFG will be Spielberg’s first film as a director with Walt Disney Company

Steven Spielberg has a long directorial career, in which he has worked with numerous film production companies but surprisingly never with Walt Disney. Now for the first time, Spielberg is collaborating with Walt Disney Company to make Roald Dahl’s adaptation The BFG, reported Variety. 

The film is about a young girl who sets out to defeat an evil-man eating giant with the help of the “Big Friendly Giant”. The story is written by Roald Dahl, who has also been the author of classics “James and the Giant Peach” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Matilda”.

The cast of the film has been finalized. Mark Rylance reportedly will play the role of the”Big Friendly Giant” which the character of the young girl Sophie will be portrayed by a new, upcoming actress Ruby Barnhill. Other cast includes Penelope Wilton, Rebecca Hall, Bill Hader, Jemaine Clement, Daniel Bacon and Chris Gibbs, Adam Godley, Jonathan Holmes and Olafur Olaffson. 

The three-time Oscar winner appears to be very excited about directing this new project. “In more than 40 years of making movies, I have been on the producing end of a number of films for Walt Disney Company, but never as a director,” Steven Spielberg said. “It is a special joy to be in the director’s chair as we start The BFG, alongside my long-time friends and film collaborators Kathy Kennedy, who introduced me to the project, Frank Marshall and Melissa Mathison. Together with them and Disney, there are many reasons why I am so excited about this joint venture,” Spielberg further stated.

Melissa Mathsion is the script writer of the film, with whom Spielberg has worked in “E.T. The Extra- Terrestrial”. Spielberg is the producer of the film alongside Frank Marshall and Sam Mercer.

The film is expected to be released on July 1, 2016, which also marks the 100th birth anniversary of the author Roald Dahl. The film will be distributed in USA as well as in Europe, Africa, Middle East and India.