Captain Marvel and No Time To Die star Lashana Lynch has signed on to star as Miss Honey, the teacher in Netflix’s Matilda musical. Lynch played Maria Rambeau in the 2019 Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, revealed to be Carol Danvers’ (Brie Larson) long-lost friend and fellow fighter pilot. Previously, Lynch starred in the movies Brotherhood and Powder Room and appeared in several English TV shows. This year, she’s set to play the new 007 in the next James Bond movie, the long-delayed No Time To Die, which will also be Daniel Craig’s final outing as the iconic spy.
Netflix’s upcoming Roald Dahl adaptation, Matilda, will be a screen version of the hit musical, which turned Dahl’s classic tale of a young book-loving girl with special powers into a song-and-dance stage show. The movie adaptation will feature the stage production’s core creative team, with director Matthew Warchus and playwright Dennis Kelly adapting their own work. The movie will also feature Australian comic Tim Minchin’s original songs. The cast already includes veteran actor Ralph Fiennes (Schindler’s List, Harry Potter) as a gender-bent Miss Trunchbull, and now another role has been filled.
According to THR, Lynch has been cast in the pivotal role of Miss Honey. In the 1996 Matilda movie by Danny DeVito, Embeth Davidtz (Schindler’s List) played the role, Matilda’s teacher, who supports her when all other adults are trying to deny she has special abilities. The story ends with Miss Honey adopting Matilda and the pair living contently in a small cottage. American singer and theater actor Lauren Ward originated the role in England and reprised it in the popular Broadway production. Lynch will, therefore, be filling some accomplished boots.
The Britsh actress will have to show off her versatility in Matilda, as the musical requires a great singing voice and the ability to dance, given the movie will be a direct adaptation of the stage play. The film is part of a large number of Roald Dahl productions currently in progress at Netflix. The streaming giant also produces a Roald Dahl universe of animated shows, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG, The Twits, and others. This adaptation of arguably the author’s most beloved work will be the first to get a release.
The new Matilda musical has to live up to the multi-award-winning stage play and fan memories of the 1996 adaptation starring Mara Wilson, DeVito, Davidtz, and Rhea Perlman. That movie has come to be regarded as a 1990s children’s classic, just like the book, so hopefully, this new version lives up to the expectation. But given the pedigree of the stage show, that’s unlikely to be a difficult task.
