WASHINGTON: American filmmaker Robert Zemeckis has been finalised to direct Warner Bros.' adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic dark fantasy novel "The Witches," reported the Variety.
Zemeckis will be writing with partner Jack Rapke.
The story, based on the 1973 novel, revolves around a seven-year-old boy who has a run in with real-life witches.
Earlier, the Warner Bros. had adapted the book in 1990 in which Anjelica Huston played the role of Grand High Witch.
As per sources, Zemeckis' upcoming version will be more original, as compared to Huston's loose adaptation.
Zemeckis is known as an innovator in visual effects. Credited as "one of the greatest visual storytellers in filmmaking", he first came to public attention in the 1980s as the director of 'Romancing the Stone' (1984) and the science-fiction comedy 'Back to the Future' film trilogy.