Fans of Matilda The Musical have been treated to a sneak peek of the upcoming Netflix film adaptation. The teaser trailer for the new adaptation of Roald Dahl’s 1988 children’s classic stars Alisha Weir as Matilda, who is seen daydreaming of a better life as she slumbers in an air-borne hammock. “Once upon a time there was a little girl who was trapped,” she says. “This is the story of her great escape.”
Emma Thompson will star as the dreaded Miss Trunchball, the school’s sadistic headmistress who, in this adaptation (as in the original), looks not unlike a Nazi prison guard. Thompson – no stranger to heavy prosthetics – is almost unrecognisable in costume. She’s clearly going to make a very unnerving Trunchball.
Those of you who have read the book, seen the original film and tapped along to the musical will know of Matilda Wormwood’s quest to overthrow Trunchball, along with all the other cruel parents and teachers. “I like troublemakers Wormwood, they make such a lovely sound when they snap,” Thompson says in the trailer, which then cuts to a scene of Matilda boldly refusing to back down.
The short teaser also features Matilda’s abusive parents, Harry and Zannia Wormwood – played by Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough – who neglect her, ignore her gifts and force her to sleep in the attic. There’s also a snippet of the famous cake-eating scene, in which Bruce Bogtrotter is forced to eat an entire chocolate cake in front of his classmates.
Later, we see Trunchball grabbing a girl by the pigtails and swinging her around until she begins to take off. The delightful Miss Honey – Matilda’s only adult comrade – is played by Lashana Lynch. The trailer shows the moment Miss Honey learns of Matilda’s astonishing gift. “Matilda, your mind is extraordinary,” she says. “You need to be very careful! Miss Trunchbull, she’s dangerous.”
Matilda The Musical will debut on Netflix on Christmas Day, 2022, and will be playing in selected cinemas from December 9th. Check out the trailer below.
