Rebecca Ferguson has been cast in the movie adaptation of Enid Blyton’s children’s classic The Magic Faraway Tree.

The Dune actress will play the villain Dame Snap, a terrifying headmistress, in the magical family adventure alongside previously announced actors Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy.

“Rebecca is a towering screen presence, one of the finest actors of her generation, and will be an electrifying addition to our movie,” said director Ben Gregor in a statement.

Based on Blyton’s The Faraway Tree novel series, the film follows Polly and Tim Thompson, played by Foy and Garfield, and their three children Beth, Joe and Fran after they are forced to move to the remote English countryside. The children discover a magical tree which transports them to fantastical lands and introduces them to an array of extraordinary characters.

The film will also star Nicola Coughlan, Nonso Anozie, Jessica Gunning, Lenny Henry, Simon Russell Beale, Michael Palin and Jennifer Saunders, among others. The Thompson children will be portrayed by newcomers Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Billie Gadsdon and Phoenix Laroche.

Simon Farnaby, who wrote Wonka and Paddington 2, has adapted Blyton’s novel for the feature, which is already in production, according to IMDb.

Ferguson has a busy slate of projects in the pipeline. In addition to the second season of her Apple TV+ series Silo, she has finished shooting the sci-fi movie Mercy with Chris Pratt and is gearing up to star in the Peaky Blinders film and Kathryn Bigelow’s next feature.

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