Adapted by Wonka and Paddington 2’s Simon Farnaby and directed by Ben Gregor (Britannia) the new adaptation of Enid Blyton’s beloved children’s classic, The Magic Faraway Tree has officially wrapped filming and a first-look image has been shared (above, courtesy of Neal Street / Elysian) which shows Nicola Coughlan as Silky the fairy.
Based on The Faraway Tree series of novels for children, The Magic Faraway Tree follows Polly and Tim Thompson 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.
Playing the family are Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man) and Claire Foy (All of Us Strangers) as Tim and Polly, respectively. The Thompson children will be played by newcomers Delilah Bennett-Cardy (ITV’s Tom Jones), Billie Gadsdon (Cruella) and Phoenix Laroche (The Velveteen Rabbit).
The inhabitants of the tree, capable of transporting visitors to fantastical far-off lands, will be played by Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton) as woodland fairy Silky, Nonso Anozie (Sweet Tooth) as self-appointed group leader Moonface, Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer) as Dame Washalot and Dustin Demri-Burns (Slow Horses) as Saucepan Man.
Rounding out the cast of the magical denizens of the woodlands will be Mark Heap (The School for Good and Evil) as Mr. Oom Boom Boom and Oliver Chris (My Lady Jane) as Mr. Watzisname, Hiran Abeysekera (The Life of Pi) as the Angry Pixie.
British icons Sirs Lenny Henry, Michael Palin and Simon Russell Beale will play a trio of mystical wise men from the Land of Know-Alls, and Rebecca Ferguson (Silo) joined the cast in the role of Dame Snap, the story’s terrifying headmistress, one of Blyton’s most iconic villains.
The role of the kids’ ruthless Grandma is played by Jennifer Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous), with Pippa Bennett-Warner (Gangs of London) as her assistant, Hannah.
The Magic Faraway Tree release date is TBC