Millennial PSA: There’s a mini ‘Matilda’ reunion in the works

In news that will warm the hearts of bookworms everywhere, Danny DeVito revealed plans to reunite with Mara Wilson, who played his onscreen daughter Matilda in the beloved 1996 film of the same name. DeVito shared the scoop in a recent interview with The Messenger, noting that the duo had planned the mini reunion prior to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, which began in July.

“Mara and I were planning to perform Matilda live with the New Jersey Philharmonic Orchestra just before the strike hit,” DeVito shared. “We had it all set, but, after the strike hit, we couldn’t proceed because it would be seen as a promotion for a movie. However, we’re still planning to do that. We’re going to watch the movie with David Newman’s score and try to do it sometime soon, as it seems the strike may be coming to an end — I hope!”

The event, called “Matilda in Concert,” will treat fans to a live narration of the film done by DeVito and Wilson, with composer David Newman playing his score along the way. Though it’s unclear when it will take place, it’s sure to be an emotional and nostalgic moment for fans of the film and the 1988 novel it was inspired by, penned by Roald Dahl, about a young girl who seeks refuge in books to escape a tumultuous family and school life. Of course, she finds safety in the kindness of her teacher, Miss Honey (played by Embeth Davidtz), discovering her power in more ways than one.

Matilda inspired a long-running musical, Matilda the Musical, which ran on Broadway, the West End, and in other cities around the world before becoming a Netflix film adaptation in 2022. The live adaptation with Wilson and DeVito would no doubt be the cherry on top for longtime fans of the franchise.

Aside from remaining tight with his onscreen daughter, DeVito is currently sharing the stage with his real-life daughter Lucy. The two are acting together on Broadway in a play titled I Need That, with Lucy making her big Broadway debut in the show, which runs through December.

“We’re having such a good time,” DeVito told The Messenger. “It’s easy to slip in and out of, you know, [my relationship] with Lucy. We’ve always talked about everything — whatever is going on with me, whatever happened with her — we’re lucky to have that with Lucy and Gracie [his younger daughter] and Rhea [Perlman] as well.” DeVito shares two daughters and son Jacob with Perlman, who, of course, played his onscreen wife in Matilda, as well as several other roles in movies and on the small screen.