The outgoing artistic director of The Old Vic theatre, Matthew Warchus, will direct a new movie remake of classic family story Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Warchus is fresh from directing the big-screen adaptation of his long-running show Matilda the Musical, which was released in November 2022 starring Emma Thompson.

The Tony and Olivier Award-winning director will helm Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with a script by Tony Award-winner Enda Walsh (Small Things Like These, Hunger, Disco Pigs).

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is the much-loved children’s story about a magical flying car, originally written by James Bond creator Ian Fleming.

The film will be produced by James Bond producers Eon Productions and Amazon MGM Studios. There’s no current news about timings or cast.

The story was originally turned into a movie in 1968 starring Dick Van Dyke, produced by Albert “Cubby” Broccoli and written by Roald Dahl, Ken Hughes and Richard Maibaum.

Alongside the movie of Matilda The Musical, which Warchus also directed on stage, his movies include 2015’s Pride, which is also in development for a new stage musical.

Matthew Warchus’s stage musical of Matilda The Musical continues to play at the Cambridge Theatre in London. The show hit a new milestone last week, becoming the 15th longest-running show in West End history, leaping above other long-runners We Will Rock You, Thriller Live and Billy Elliot.

Matthew Warchus announced in May that he is stepping down from The Old Vic in 2026. His next project at venue is a new adaptation of Oedipus by Ella Hickson, starring Oscar-winner Rami Malek and Olivier Award-winner Indira Varma.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has also been adapted into a stage musical, which is now touring the UK and Ireland.

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Main photo: Matthew Warchus. Photo by Craig Gibson

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