Andrew Garfield & Claire Foy To Star In Enid Blyton Adaptation ‘The Magic Faraway Tree’ With Filming Due To Begin Next Month — Cannes Market

Andreas Wiseman
·2-min read

Enid Blyton adaptation The Magic Faraway Tree has found key cast in the shape of two-time Oscar nominee Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider Man) and two-time Emmy winner Claire Foy (All of Us Strangers).

Neal Street Productions, Elysian Film Group and Ashland Hill Media Finance are behind the movie which is being adapted by BAFTA-winner Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2) and will be directed by Ben Gregor (Britannia).

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Based on The Faraway Tree series of novels for children, the feature will follow Polly and Tim and their children Beth, Joe and Fran – a modern family who find themselves forced to relocate to the remote English countryside. Garfield will play Tim and Foy will take on the role of Polly.

Soon after the family’s arrival in the countryside, the children discover a magical tree and its extraordinary and eccentric residents including treasured characters Moonface, Silky, Dame Washalot and Saucepan Man. At the top of the tree, they are transported to spectacular and fantastical lands and, through the joys and challenges of their adventures, the family learn to reconnect and value each other for the first time in years.

Principal photography is due to begin next month, with additional casting currently underway.

Ashland Hill Media Finance is fully financing. Palisades Park Pictures is handling worldwide sales, with CAA Media Finance co-repping U.S. rights, and will continue sales at this month’s Cannes market.

Producers are Pippa Harris and Nicolas Brown of All3Media-owned Neal Street Productions, along with Danny Perkins of Elysian Film Group, and Jane Hooks. Executive producers include Ashland Hill Media Finance’s Simon Williams, Joe Simpson and Jonathan Bross and Palisades Park Pictures’ Tamara Birkemoe. The film has been in development for several years, with Perkins, Harris and Brown working on the film when the former was running Studiocanal UK.

Simon Farnaby said: “To have two actors of the quality of Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy is a dream for any screenwriter. I have long admired their warmth, wit and lightness of touch. Plus they have the power to imbue their characters’ complexities that I don’t have the power to write … I mean, even Enid Blyton might be impressed we got Spider-Man and the Queen…”

Ben Gregor added: “Andrew and Claire are exquisite performers and I feel so spoiled to have them for this film. They are the cornerstones of our big hearted world and the perfect people to bring our lovely script to life.”

Claire Foy is represented by Independent Talent Group and UTA. Andrew Garfield is represented by Gordon & French, CAA, and Sloane, Offer.

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