Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Exclusive: Dustin Hoffman, Judi Dench to Make Roald Dahl Romance

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UPDATE TUES SEPT 2 2014: The Weinstein Company has picked up this project worldwide. I broke the news of this film back in July 2013.

Here’s the original story:

Exclusive: “Esiotrot” is tortoise spelled backwards. It’s also the title of a very popular 1990 Roald Dahl illustrated children’s story that involves a love story between two mature adults. And I can tell you that Dustin Hoffman and Dame Judi Dench are going to play the main characters. “Esiotrot” will film next month in England. Hoffman told me he’s a little nervous. “She’s Judi Dench!” But something tells me these two will hit it off famously. Dearbhla Walsh, who won the 2010 Emmy Award for Best Mini Series, “Little Dorrit,” will direct…This should be interesting since the book’s description makes it sound like a tough translation to film…Dench, by the way, may be on her way to a second Oscar next March 2014…She’s the star of Stephen Frears’ “Philomena” and will be very much in the Oscar race this winter thanks to a big push by Harvey Weinstein…

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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