Captain Marvel's Lashana Lynch Is Set to Star in Netflix's Matilda Movie Musical
Lashana Lynch has found herself one very sweet role.
The 33-year-old actress is set to star as Miss Honey in the upcoming Netflix movie musical adaptation of Matilda, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Embeth Davidtz originally played the role in the 1996 film adaptation directed by Danny DeVito.
A Netflix rep did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
The movie musical is based on Roald Dahl's classic novel of the same name and is a film version of the Tony Award-winning Matilda the Musical. The story centers around a young girl, Matilda, with telekinetic gifts, who uses her powers to thwart her bullies, including her school's principal, Miss Agatha Trunchbull.
Miss Honey is Matilda's supportive teacher who has her own history with Trunchbull.
A rep for Lynch did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
While many other details of the feature remain under wraps — including other castings — THR notes that Matthew Warchus, who helmed the stage musical, is set to direct, while original playwright Dennis Kelly will adapt the screenplay with original music and lyrics by Tim Minchin.
Lynch — who had a breakthrough debut in 2019's Captain Marvel — was originally scheduled to be seen on-screen last year in the James Bond film, No Time to Die, before the movie's release schedule was shuffled around numerous times amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In a November interview with Harper's Bazaar UK, the actress spoke candidly about how she is making history as the first Black woman to take up the 007 mantle in the upcoming Bond movie, a subject that was rumored previously last year. The publication noted that Lynch is not taking over the role from Daniel Craig — who has portrayed Bond since 2006 — but rather stars as Nomi, "the secret agent who inherits the 007 title while Bond himself is in exile."
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Describing to the outlet how she dealt with the backlash after news of her role first went public, Lynch shared that she took a break from all social media and reminded herself that the comments directed at her were not meant to be taken personally.
"I am one Black woman — if it were another Black woman cast in the role, it would have been the same conversation, she would have got the same attacks, the same abuse," she said. "I just have to remind myself that the conversation is happening and that I’m a part of something that will be very, very revolutionary."
According to a report by The Daily Mail UK from 2019, a source told the outlet of No Time to Die, "There is a pivotal scene at the start of the film where M says 'Come in 007', and in walks Lashana who is Black, beautiful and a woman."
"It's a popcorn-dropping moment. Bond is still Bond but he’s been replaced as 007 by this stunning woman," the source added.
For her role of Nomi, Lynch added to Harper's Bazaar UK that she had some fears about being cast aside "behind the man" in the film, but after speaking with director Cary Fukunaga, producer Barbara Broccoli and writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Lynch realized her ideas for the film and for her role lined up with theirs.
Wanting to portray a character with a "fresh female perspective" who was "subtly drawn, believable, perhaps even a little awkward," as the outlet states, Lynch agreed that Nomi would be able to contribute all of that. "A character that is too slick, a cast-iron figure? That's completely against what I stand for," Lynch noted. "I didn’t want to waste an opportunity when it came to what Nomi might represent."
Source: Read Full Article