We all know and love Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach. But now we get to experience the novel being read by some of our favorite A-list celebs, including Meryl Streep.
A new streaming series, hosted by the Oscar-winning writer-director Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit), debuted on YouTube on Wednesday. Called, “James and the Giant Peach with Taika and Friends,” the program (set up by the Roald Dahl Story Company) aims to raise money for Partners in Health, a medical and social-justice organization fighting COVID-19.
Waititi will join a long list of stars, including Ryan Reynolds, Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Lupita Nyong’o, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris and Liam Hemsworth, Sarah Paulson, Billy Porter, Eddie Redmayne, Cara Delevingne and Kumail Nanjiani, as they each read a portion of the classic novel across 10 episodes. Each section will air exclusively on the Roald Dahl YouTube channel every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m. ET (6 p.m. U.K. time).
“Being an adult child myself and having read James and the Giant Peach to my girls multiple times, I’m excited to be able to partner with my friends, the Dahl team and Partners In Health and re-tell this story to help those most in need right now,” Waititi said in a statement. “This wacky, wonderful tale is about resilience in children, triumph over adversity and dealing with a sense of isolation, which couldn’t be more relevant today.” Lucky for us, the first two parts, which feature Waititi with the Hemsworth brothers and Nick Kroll (followed by Streep and Cumberbatch), are already available to stream.
Looks like we know what we’re doing this MDW.