Neal Street Productions, Elysian Film Group and Ashland Hill Media Finance have unveiled the final casting announcement for their upcoming film adaptation of Enid Blyton’s beloved children’s classic, The Magic Faraway Tree. Rebecca Ferguson (Dune, Mission Impossible, Silo, The Greatest Showman) has joined the cast in the role of DAME SNAP.
Ferguson will play the story’s terrifying headmistress, one of Blyton’s most iconic villains.
Production are ecstatic to welcome Ferguson to the cast, with director Ben Gregor commenting: “Rebecca is a towering screen presence, one of the finest actors of her generation, and will be an electrifying addition to our movie.”
Ferguson’s casting in The Magic Faraway Tree adds to her impressive, ever-growing cinematic slate. In 2024 Ferguson is shooting 4 feature films including the Peaky Blinders movie opposite Cillian Murphy, Mercy opposite Chris Pratt, and Kathryn Bigelow’s next feature film. Season 2 of her Apple series, Silo, in which she stars and produces, will release on 15th November, 2024.
Ferguson joins the cast which, as previously announced, includes two-time Academy Award-nominee, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Winner Andrew Garfield (tick, tick… BOOM!, Hacksaw Ridge) and Golden Globe and two-time Emmy Award-winner Claire Foy (All of Us Strangers, Women Talking). Ferguson is represented by Chalcot Square, CAA and Anonymous Content.
The film is produced by Academy Award-nominee Pippa Harris (Empire of Light, 1917, Call the Midwife) and Nicolas Brown (Britannia, Informer, Penny Dreadful) of Neal Street Productions, along with Danny Perkins (Greatest Days) of Elysian Film Group, and Jane Hooks (Golda, Living). Executive Producers include Ashland Hill Media Finance’s Simon Williams, Joe Simpson and Jonathan Bross and Palisades Park Pictures’ Tamara Birkemoe. Adapted by BAFTA Award-winner Simon Farnaby (Wonka, Paddington 2), the film is directed by Ben Gregor (Britannia, Cuckoo, Black Ops, Fatherhood).
