Spielberg casts Tony winner Mark Rylance in his film based on Dahl tale

Mark Rylance, the acclaimed and three-time Tony winning actor, will play the title role in “The BFG,” the big screen film Steven Spielberg is slated to direct, based on the Roald Dahl classic children’s book of the same name.

Published in 1982, the book is about a young girl, the Queen of England and kind and gentle giant, who is known as BFG. The unlikely trio then set off on quite a wild adventure in order to capture the evil, man-devouring giants that are beginning to invade the human world.

Filming is expected to begin early next year, with a summer, 2016 release currently planned. Rylance now is already working with Spielberg in the as-yet-unnamed Cold War thriller, starring Tom Hanks.

Spielberg’s DreamWorks acquired the rights to “The BFG” from the Dahl estate in 2010 and Harrison Ford’s ex-wife and noted screenwriter Melissa Mathison, who was Oscar-nominated for another classic — penning the screenplay for Spielberg’s beloved “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” has adapted “The BFG” for the big screen.