Steven Spielberg enlists Mark Rylance for title role in ‘The BFG’

Steven Spielberg has found his Big Friendly Giant.

Mark Rylance, the Tony and Olivier award-winning stage actor, will play the title role in the director’s adaptation of the Roald Dahl children’s book “The BFG,” DreamWorks Studios has announced.

Published in 1982, “The BFG” tells the story of a young orphan who teams up with a benevolent giant and the Queen of England to save the world from evil, man-eating behemoths.

Rylance, an acclaimed British thespian who served as the artistic director of Shakespeare’s Globe in London for a decade, also has a supporting role in Spielberg’s upcoming untitled Cold War thriller starring Tom Hanks.

Rylance’s previous film credits include “The Other Boleyn Girl” and “Angels and Insects,” but he is primarily known for his work on stage, such as “Jerusalem,” “Twelfth Night” and “Richard III.” It will no doubt be interesting to see how he translates the physicality and immediacy of his theater work to the screen for Spielberg’s films.

“As I witnessed on stage, Mark Rylance is a transformational actor,” Spielberg said in a statement. “I am excited and thrilled that Mark will be making this journey with us to Giant Country. Everything about his career so far is about making the courageous choice, and I’m honored he has chosen ‘The BFG’ as his next big screen performance.”

DreamWorks acquired the rights to “The BFG” in 2010, and screenwriter Melissa Mathison, who last collaborated with Spielberg on “E.T.,” penned the adaptation.

Production is scheduled to begin early next year, and the film is to hit theaters July 1, 2016, with Disney distributing in the U.S.

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