Variety:

Robert Zemeckis is in final negotiations to direct Warner Bros.’ adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic book “The Witches," studio sources tell Variety.

Sources say a deal is expected shortly. Zemeckis will also pen the script, with his partner Jack Rapke producing through their banner ImageMovers, along with Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo del Toro. Del Toro had long been attached to direct, but a scheduling conflict led the Oscar winner to vacate the director’s chair.

Based on the 1973 novel, the film follows a seven-year-old boy who has a run in with real-life witches. Warner Bros. had previously adapted the book in 1990 with Anjelica Huston playing one of the title characters, but sources close to the project say Zemeckis’ version will be more rooted in the original source material, while the Huston pic was a loose adaptation.