Promising more adventure than you can shake a Snozzcumber at, Steven Spielberg’s all-new take on The BFG is inching closer and closer to its theratrical bow in July, and a new image unveiled today by Disney whisks Ruby Barnhill’s Sophie off to Giant Country.
Perched on the mighty shoulder of Mark Rylance’s towering, yet amicable behemoth, the House of Mouse premiered the new still in celebration of the ongoing Cannes Film Festival, where Spielberg’s live-action adaptation is due to make its worldwide premiere.
Snatched from the clutches of Mrs. Clonkers and her oppressive orphanage, The BFG represents a modern remake of Roald Dahl’s time-honoured classic, blending live-action sequences with cutting-edge CGI in the vein of The Jungle Book. That places a hefty weight of expectation on Ruby Barnhill’s budding newcomer, but we’re quietly confident that the up-and-comer can turn in a seamless performance with such a VFX-heavy feature.
Keep your peepers peeled on that horizon; Mark Rylance’s Big Friendly Giant is due to stomp onto the big screen on July 1, when Jemaine Clement, Rebecca Hall, Bill Hader and Penelope Wilton will also help bring Dahl’s The BFG to life like never before.
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.