Fact Check: Is The Trunch Miss Trunchbull movie real or fake? Viral poster debunked

Recently, a claim arose on social media that a movie named 'The Trunch' is all set to drop on the Amazon Prime streaming platform later this year, featuring newcomer actress Amelia Davis in the role of the protagonist Agatha Trunchbull.

The rumor first emerged on the Facebook page called YODA BBY ABY on August 21 with a poster of the lead artist and the words, “The Trunch” and “November 2024” written above and below, respectively.

“THE TRUNCH!!! MISS TRUNCHBULL MOVIE!!! From the whimsical world of Matilda comes The Trunch, an exciting new origin story narrated by Danny DeVito. Meet ten-year-old Agatha Trunchbull (played by newcomer Amelia Davis), a girl destined to become the fearsome headmistress we all love to hate,” part of the caption read.

However, the claim has turned out to be fake. Neither are there any official reports of a film with such a title nor is Amelia Davis a newcomer actress. The creator of the 1996 Matilda movie Danny DeVito has also not shared any intention of directing such a sequel, ever.

Meanwhile, the YODA BBY ABY Facebook page is also “satirical” as per its bio, and nothing on it is real.

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The Trunch Miss Trunchbull film poster is AI-generated

According to the latest rumor, a movie called 'The Trunch', based on the lead antagonist Agatha Trunchbull from the three-decade-old fantasy comedy Matilda, is in the making. The Facebook page of YODA BBY ABY claimed that the lead role will be that of a 10-year-old girl set to be a “fearsome headmistress” and to be enacted by Amelia Davis.

“Set in 1964, young Trunchbull is sent to a strict boarding school, where her fierce personality and love for discipline begin to take shape. Amidst midnight escapades, unruly classmates, and the tough-as-nails staff, Agatha starts to wield her iron will, setting the stage for her future reign at Crunchem Hall,” the alleged plot was mentioned in the caption.

The post, which went viral with over 13,000 reactions, 5,600 comments, and 10,000 shares, further continued by writing:

“Full of fun, thrills, and unexpected laughs, The Trunch offers a delightful peek into the early life of one of the most iconic characters in children’s literature. Coming to Prime Video in November 2024!”

But the rumor has turned out to be untrue as the YODA BBY ABY page is dedicated to parody content, with its bio reading, “I'm just here to eat frogs, lift rocks, and be satirical. The page is 100% satire and fake news.”

Also, there is no record of an actress or a newcomer named Amelia Davis on the internet, nor is there a new Matilda-based movie in the making. Therefore, the poster on the Facebook post can be concluded as computer-generated, and the information with it can be deemed as inauthentic, unfounded, and fabricated.

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Pam Ferris played the role of Agatha Trunchbull in the original movie

In 1996, actor-filmmaker Danny DeVito directed and co-produced Matilda based on the screenplay by Nicholas Kazan and Robin Swicord, adapted from the 1988 children’s novel of the same name by Roald Dahl.

DeVito also acted as the narrator and the father of the titular role Matilda, played by Mara Wilson. Welsh actress Pam Ferris played the role of Agatha Trunchbull, the tyrannical principal of the Crunchem Hall School.

The plot revolved around Wilson’s character developing psychokinetic abilities and using them to deal with Ferris’ character as well as her family issues.

Agatha Trunchbull acted as the head of the school where she tried to keep strict order and discipline while grabbing students’ pigtails and denying that she was ever a child herself.

During a 2016 interview with RadioTimes, Pam Ferris said that she often tried to keep her distance from the rest of the cast to stay in character, so that the child actors took her seriously during shots.

However, they soon realized that in real life, she was a “big softie” and would fondly interact with her on the set, adding, “I fell in love with them completely and there were a couple I wanted to bring back to Britain with me.”

Notably, in 2022, Emma Thompson played the role of Ms. Trunchbull in the Netflix adaptation, Matilda The Musical after the streaming company acquired rights to the Road Dahl Story Company. Alisha Weir and Stephen Graham slipped into the roles played by Wilson and DeVito, respectively.