Star-studded cast of The Twits adaptation unveiled

The Twits, based on British author Roald Dahl’s 1980 children’s novel, will feature characters voiced by Margo Martindale, Johnny Vegas, Natalie Portman and Emilia Clarke.

The adaptation, set for the screen in 2025, was billed as “chock-full of the Twits’ beloved tricks” during the Next On Netflix: Animation Preview event in Los Angeles on Thursday.

It will see the “meanest, smelliest, nastiest people in the world” rise to power in their town, forcing two orphans and a family of magical animals to step in to save the town, themed around the “never-ending battle between cruelty and empathy”.

The all-star cast, featuring US actress Martindale, British comedian Vegas, Black Swan star Portman and Game Of Thrones’ Clarke, was announced on Thursday.

Appearing on a video message, British actress Clarke joked that director Phil Johnston tricked her into becoming involved in the project.

“He told me that I was going to be playing a Disney princess. An empowered, feminist Disney princess in the world’s first trillion dollar franchise.

“You want to know what I’m actually playing? A bed bug in Mr Twit’s beard. I’m a literal parasite,” she joked.

Meanwhile, the “first ever animated film” from Love Actually and Four Weddings And A Funeral writer Richard Curtis is set for release on Netflix in December this year.

That Christmas is based on a trilogy of books from the British writer and features the voices of Brian Cox, Fiona Shaw, and Jodie Whittaker – with Bill Nighy also on the bill.

“It’s about Christmas, which is my favourite time of year, it’s such a focus of happiness and loneliness and joy and fear,” Curtis said.

A new film titled Spellbound, from the director of Shrek, Vicky Jenson, and featuring original music from EGOT-winning composer Alan Menken, will be released on November 22.

Featuring an all-star cast including Nicole Kidman, Rachel Zegler and John Lithgow, it will follow the tenacious young daughter of the rulers of Lumbria who goes on a quest after a mysterious spell transforms her parents into monsters.

Netflix also announced there will be another SpongeBob SquarePants spin-off film following the release of Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie on August 2.

The film titled Plankton: The Movie will revolve around the power-hungry character that starred in the original Nickelodeon series.

His world will be “flipped upside down when his plan for world domination is thwarted”.

Another film announcement is the return of the Hotel Transylvania franchise, with characters Drac and Mavis expanding their real estate portfolio to southern California in Motel Transylvania – which will be coming to Netflix next year.

The streaming platform also confirmed it is in production on a new animated series of Stranger Things, which will retain the “scares and mystery of the iconic original series” which starred British actress Millie Bobby Brown.