The Witches Trailer: Anne Hathaway-Led Reboot Heads to HBO Max

October 2, 2020

After removing The Witches from their theatrical release schedule back in June, Warner Bros. Pictures has announced that Robert Zemeckis’ forthcoming dark comedy reboot will be officially foregoing its previous U.S. theatrical release plans, opting for a digital release instead. Originally scheduled to debut in theaters on October 9, the Anne Hathaway-led film will now be making its debut on October 22 exclusively on HBO Max. However, the film is still expected to hit international theaters, starting on October 28. The date announcement coincides with the release of The Witches official trailer, which you can check out below along with the poster in the gallery!

Witches Are Real! #TheWitchesHBOMax is coming exclusively to @HBOMax in the US on October 22! Internationally, #TheWitchesMovie will be in cinemas soon. pic.twitter.com/MzeFXLd52J

— Warner Bros. Pictures (@wbpictures) October 2, 2020

Reimagining Roald Dahl’s beloved story for a modern audience, Zemeckis’s visually innovative film tells the darkly humorous and heartwarming tale of a young orphaned boy (Bruno) who, in late 1967, goes to live with his loving Grandma (Spencer) in the rural Alabama town of Demopolis. As the boy and his grandmother encounter some deceptively glamorous but thoroughly diabolical witches, she wisely whisks our young hero away to an opulent seaside resort. Regrettably, they arrive at precisely the same time that the world’s Grand High Witch (Hathaway) has gathered her fellow cronies from around the globe—undercover—to carry out her nefarious plans.

The Witches is being led by Oscar winners Anne Hathaway as the Grand High Witch and Octavia Spencer along with Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci. It will also feature Kristin Chenoweth, Codie-Lei Eastick and Jahzir Bruno with Chris Rock lending his voice for adult narration.

The new film adaptation is directed by Robert Zemeckis, who co-wrote the screenplay along with Guillermo del Toro and Kenya Barris. Zemeckis is also producing, alongside Jack Rapke and Luke Kelly as well as Academy Award winners Alfonso Cuaron (The Revenant, Gravity) and Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water, Pan’s Labyrinth). Serving as executive producers are Jacqueline Levine, Marianne Jenkins, Michael Siegel, Gideon Simeloff and Cate Adams.

The Witches was previously adapted into a film in 1990 from director Nicolas Roeg and starring Anjelica Huston, Jasen Fisher, Mai Zetterling, and Rowan Atkinson.