Rebecca Ferguson, star of Dune and Mission Impossible, will line up alongside Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Nicola Coughlan, Jessica Gunning and Jennifer Saunders in the film adaptation of Enid Blyton‘s beloved children’s classic The Magic Faraway Tree.
Ferguson has joined the cast in the role of Dame Snap, the story’s headmistress and one of Blyton’s most iconic villains.
From Neal Street Productions, Elysian Film Group and Ashland Hill Media Finance, The Magic Faraway Tree is currently shooting.
Based on the Faraway Tree series of novels for children, the film follows Polly (Foy) and Tim Thompson (Garfield) and their children, Beth, Joe and Fran, who find themselves forced to relocate to the remote English countryside. “There, the children discover a magical tree and its extraordinary and eccentric occupants,” a plot synopsis reads.
The inhabitants of the tree, capable of transporting visitors to fantastical far-off lands, will be played by Coughlan, who has been cast as woodland fairy Silky, and Nonso Anozie (Sweet Tooth, Ted Lasso) as group leader Moonface. Gunning (Baby Reindeer) will star as Dame Washalot and Dustin Demri-Burns (Slow Horses, The Great) as Saucepan Man. Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous, Shrek 2) has been cast in the role of the children’s ruthless Grandma.
Director Ben Gregor (Britannia, Cuckoo, Black Ops, Fatherhood) said: “Rebecca is a towering screen presence, one of the finest actors of her generation, and will be an electrifying addition to our movie.”
Ferguson’s casting in The Magic Faraway Tree, adapted by Simon Farnaby (Wonka, Paddington 2), adds to her ever-growing cinematic slate, which includes the upcoming Peaky Blinders movie opposite Cillian Murphy and Mercy with Chris Pratt.
Ashland Hill Media Finance is fully financing The Magic Faraway Tree. Palisades Park Pictures is handling worldwide sales, with CAA Media Finance co-repping U.S. rights.
