Were you one of the many people who grew up reading Enid Blyton’s books during morning assembly? Well, prepare for a blast to the past as one of her most famous series, The Magic Faraway Tree, is getting a movie adaptation.
The first book in the series, The Enchanted Wood, was originally released in 1939 and revolved around three siblings (retroactively named Joe, Beth and Frannie) who enter an enchanted forest and discover a tree that’s populated by magical beings.
The novel inspired three sequels by Enid Blyton, and several continuations by other authors after Blyton’s death.
The upcoming adaptation, which was announced last month, will star The Amazing Spider-Man actor Andrew Garfield and The Crown star Claire Foy as Tim and Polly – the parents of the three siblings.
On Thursday (Jun 6), US entertainment outlets reported that Bridgerton breakout star Nicola Coughlan will join the cast of The Magic Faraway Tree, alongside Ted Lasso actor Nonso Anozie and Jessica Gunning from the hit Netflix mini-series Baby Reindeer.
Coughlan will be playing a woodland fairy named Silkie while Anozie will play Moon-Face, the owner of a slide that lets its users exit The Faraway Tree. Gunning will play Dame Washalot.
Also in the cast are renowned English actors Lenny Henry, Simon Russell Beale and Michael Palin who will be portraying a group of wise men.
The Magic Faraway Tree is set to begin filming in the UK sometime in June and will be directed by Ben Gregor. In an interview with Deadline, Gregor said that he was “pushing (the movie) to make sure it feels modern” while still staying true to Enid Blyton’s “zany creative vision”.