Anne Hathaway vows to ‘exterminate those brats’ in trailer for The Witches

Anne Hathaway assumes the role of the Grand High Witch in the trailer for The Witches, the big-screen adaptation of one of Roald Dahl’s most terrifying tales.

The two-minute teaser sees the Hollywood star brandish a potion and tell her fellow witches: “Ladies, I have a plan. One drop will transform a child into a mouse, and we will exterminate those brats.”

Forrest Gump director Robert Zemeckis leads the remake based on the children’s author’s 1983 novel.

Set in 1960s Alabama, the new version sees a little boy stumble across a conference of witches while staying with his grandmother at a sinister hotel, and is transformed into a mouse.

The Warner Bros picture also stars Octavia Spencer and Stanley Tucci, with actor and comic Chris Rock narrating the trailer.

The Witches was first adapted into a film in 1990, the year Dahl died. It starred Anjelica Huston and Rowan Atkinson and was directed by Nicolas Roeg.

The new adaptation is released on HBO Max in the US later this month.

Warner Bros said the film is coming soon to the UK.