Roald Dahl’s The Witches trailer is released with Anne Hathaway as the menacing Grand High Witch

Roald Dahl’s The Witches, based on the popular children’s book, released its official trailer on Thursday.

The highly-anticipated film, directed by Robert Zemeckis, stars Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Kristin Chenoweth, Chris Rock and Jahzir Kadeem Bruno.

‘The diabolically wicked reimagining of the classic tale comes exclusively to HBO Max in the U.S. on October 22 and hits theatres around the world beginning October 28,’ a press release announced. 

Here it is! Roald Dahl’s The Witches trailer was released on Thursday. The highly anticipated film stars Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Chris Rock and Jahzir Kadeem Bruno

The two minute clip opens with Rock, 55, saying his story begins when he was a ‘young boy,’ moving in with his grandmother (Spencer), who he describes as ‘a tough lady with a big heart.’

‘Little by little, she brought me out of my sadness,’ he narrates, while the video pans to footage of Spencer baking him homemade cornbread and singing around the house. 

While the pair look blissfully happy, he warns that ‘there was a dark shadow looming nearby.’ 

As the duo playfully dance around the house, a figure can be seen watching them through the window.  

Family first: The trailer begins with Rock, 55, saying his story began when he was a 'young boy,' moving in with his grandmother (Spencer), who he describes as 'a tough lady with a big heart'

Family first: The trailer begins with Rock, 55, saying his story began when he was a ‘young boy,’ moving in with his grandmother (Spencer), who he describes as ‘a tough lady with a big heart’

Then, Rock bluntly reveals that witches ‘are real’ and ‘hate children.’ 

Proving his point in a cheeky exchange with a hotel manager, Hathaway’s character asks: ‘What would you do, if there were mice running all your hotel?’ 

After he replies he would call an exterminator, she declares to a group of women, ‘You see, girls? He would exterminate those brats!’   

‘Uh, rats,’ the manager clarifies to the leading lady, who sports a chic houndstooth ensemble and a wide-brimmed black hat over her short blonde bob. ‘We would exterminate the rats.’ 

In response, she just glares at him, while beginning to hatch her plan to turn all kids into mice. 

‘I feared this was happening,’ Spencer mutters, at one point after the supernatural group’s arrival. ‘They’re here. That means a test is coming.’ 

A treat: 'The diabolically wicked reimagining of the classic tale comes exclusively to HBO Max in the U.S. on October 22 and hits theatres around the world beginning October 28,' a press release announced on Thursday

A treat: ‘The diabolically wicked reimagining of the classic tale comes exclusively to HBO Max in the U.S. on October 22 and hits theatres around the world beginning October 28,’ a press release announced on Thursday

In a shocking scene, Hathaway, who stars as the menacing Grand High Witch, removes her wig and reveals her plan, while hovering in the air. 

‘One drop will transform a child into a mouse!’ she tells a large group of female witches, before appearing to find Rock’s character watching from a cracked door.

Upon discovering the child, he is thrown in the air and covered with purple boils, as he morphed into a rodent.  

Terrifying: Proving his point in a cheeky exchange with a hotel manager (Stanley Tucci), Hathaway's character asks: 'What would you do, if there were mice running all your hotel?'

Terrifying: Proving his point in a cheeky exchange with a hotel manager (Stanley Tucci), Hathaway’s character asks: ‘What would you do, if there were mice running all your hotel?’

'I feared this was happening,' Spencer mutters, at one point after the supernatural group's arrival. 'They're here. That means a test is coming'

‘I feared this was happening,’ Spencer mutters, at one point after the supernatural group’s arrival. ‘They’re here. That means a test is coming’

Along with at least two other children, the young boy can be heard revealing his furry transformation to his grandmother. 

‘Is that you, boy?’ she asks in shock, before telling the Grand High Witch she’ll ‘never’ let her get away with her ‘filthy, evil plot.’ 

The Grand High Witch, however, doesn’t back down and asks, ‘Who’s going to stop me?’

Evil plan: In a shocking scene, Hathaway, who stars as the menacing Grand High Witch, removes her wig and reveals her plan, while hovering in the air

Evil plan: In a shocking scene, Hathaway, who stars as the menacing Grand High Witch, removes her wig and reveals her plan, while hovering in the air

'One drop will transform a child into a mouse!' she tells a large group of female witches, before appearing to find Rock's character watching from a cracked door

‘One drop will transform a child into a mouse!’ she tells a large group of female witches, before appearing to find Rock’s character watching from a cracked door

Oh no! Upon discovering the child, he is thrown in the air and covered with purple boils, as he morphed into a rodent

Oh no! Upon discovering the child, he is thrown in the air and covered with purple boils, as he morphed into a rodent

Later, the boy’s grandma comforts him by saying, ‘Doesn’t matter who you are or what you look like as long as somebody loves you.’ 

While the suspense is high, the trailer was brimming with comedic relief from  Stanley Tucci, who previously worked with Hathaway on  The Devil Wears Prada in 2006. 

In the trailer’s final moments, he asks Spencer’s character, ‘You wouldn’t happen to be carrying aroun a mouse on your person, now, would you?’ 

'Is that you, boy?' she asks in shock, before telling the Grand High Witch she'll 'never' let her get away with her 'filthy, evil plot'

‘Is that you, boy?’ she asks in shock, before telling the Grand High Witch she’ll ‘never’ let her get away with her ‘filthy, evil plot’

To which she responds: ”A mouse?’ Why on earth would I be carrying around a mouse?’ 

The Witches was originally scheduled for a wide theatrical release on October 9, 2020, but was removed from the release calendar by June due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

It was later announced that it would still release in theaters internationally, and stream on HBO Max in the United States. The film is now scheduled to debut on October 22, 2020.

Hello talent! The movie is a fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by Zemeckis, Guillermo del Toro and Kenya Barris

Hello talent! The movie is a fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by Zemeckis, Guillermo del Toro and Kenya Barris

The movie is a fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by Zemeckis, Guillermo del Toro and Kenya Barris.

It is based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Roald Dahl, and is the second feature length adaptation of the novel, following the 1990 film of the same name.  

Tucci plays the hotel manager and Chris Rock is the narrator.