PREVIEW by Sucdi Awale
A decade after its initial announcement, The Magic Faraway Tree is finally set to take to the big screen.
Under the helm of director Ben Gregor, the film is bringing one of Britain’s most beloved children’s stories to a whole new generation.
It will be released in the UK and Australia in major cinema chains such as Odeon, Vue, Showcase, Cineworld, among others – with further international release dates to follow.
The movie’s star-studded cast includes The Amazing Spiderman actor Andrew Garfield as the dad of the family, The Crown actress Claire Foy as the mum, and Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan as a tree-dwelling fairy named Silky. After almost a decade, Foy and Garfield are playing a married couple again, having co-starred in Breathe.
Based on the children’s book series created by Enid Blyton, the film revolves around a family that has moved to the English countryside and finds a mysterious tree in the woods. Climbing it leads them to ever-changing magical lands, filled with whimsical creatures and unpredictable adventures.
Garfield strongly advocates for taking our collective attention away from social media “and reconnecting with eternal things like nature,” he told the BBC.
The tale was written for the screen for Simon Farnaby, who also wrote Paddington 2 and Wonka in recent times. Farnaby has previously appeared in the children’s comedy series, Horrible Histories, giving him experience in combining comedy and children’s storytelling.
The project has had a long journey to the screen, with development said to have begun in 2014. Neal Street Production’s owners Sam Mendes and Pippa Harris have acquired the rights to all four books in Blyton’s series; leaving potential for sequels.
With all four books secured, The Magic Faraway Tree has the potential to become a staple fantasy series for the world if it proves successful in translating Blyton’s limitless imagination onto the big screen.
