Emma Thompson to play Miss Trunchbull in new Matilda Musical

Netflix has cast our beloved Emma Thompson to play the villainous Miss Trunchbull in their new adaptation of Matilda the Musical, and we’re not too sure how we feel about it.

This new version of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s novel is based off Tim Minchin’s widely popular West End musical, which has been captivating theatre goers since it opened in 2010.

While we absolutely adore Emma Thompson, we can’t say we can really picture her grabbing us by our pigtails and throwing us over a fence, like the original Miss Trunchbull did in the 1996 film with Mara Wilson. 

We love Emma for her outstanding roles as Alan Rickman’s heartbroken wife in Love Actually, or the endearing Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast, which perhaps is why we can’t really envision her as this nightmare inducing villain which terrified us growing up.

Of course, this won’t be Emma’s first foray into the world of whimsy and magic, as she’s also well known for her role as Sybill Trelawney in the Harry Potter series as well as her wise and wonderful character in Nanny McPhee.

Other cast members announced for Netflix’s Matilda the Musical include Lashana Lynch who will play Miss Honey, as well as newcomer Alisha Weir who will be taking on the role of Matilda.

For those who don’t know, the story of Matilda follows a gifted young girl with a passion for reading who lives with her truly horrid adopted family. In school she and her other classmates are tormented by the wicked school principal Miss Trunchbull, and are only ever shown a sliver of kindness by their loving teacher, Miss Honey.

It’s fair to say, we absolutely can’t wait to see how Nextflix tackles this new adaptation of one of our favourite childhood classics.

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