Acclaimed director Steven Spielberg is set to go behind the camera and direct a new version of Roald Dahl’s much-loved children’s book, The BFG.
The new film will begin shooting in early 2015, and will see Spielberg telling the story of an orphaned girl named Sophie who befriends a kindly giant.
The book was first published by Roald Dahl in 1982, and the film is to be released in 2016, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of his birth.
“We are delighted that Steven Spielberg will bring his inventive genius to directing the story of The BFG,” the Roald Dahl Literary Estate said in a statement.
Spielberg added; “The BFG has enchanted families and their children for more than three decades. We are honoured that the Roald Dahl estate has entrusted us with this classic story.”
The director will be working from a screenplay written by Melissa Mathison, who previously wrote the script for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
It’s said that Dahl, who died in 1990 at the age of 74, considered The BFG to be one of his favourite books. Sir David Jason provided the voice of the giant in an animated version made by ITV back in 1989.
