Wes Anderson to direct Roald Dahl adaptation starring Benedict Cumberbatch

After purchasing the Golden Ticket to the Roald Dahl Story Company, Netflix has announced that Wes Anderson will direct an adaptation of The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. Taken from Dahl’s 1977 book The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar and Six More, the story is a bit more adult than the author’s family-friendly tales. In addition to setting Wes Anderson as the project’s director, an all-star cast has also been announced, with Benedict Cumberbatch leading the pack. Other stars set to join Cumberbatch include Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, and Sir Ben Kingsley.

The original book includes a total of seven stories, though, it has not been confirmed which will be a part of Netflix’s Henry Sugar project. For the moment, it sounds like the project will consist of three mini-films similar to the Coen Brothers The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. In looking at the book, it appears as if two of the stories are autobiographical; with one recounting how Dahl became a writer while the other describes the author’s experiences as a fighter pilot in the Second World War. Another story is a non-fiction affair about a British farmer who discovers an ancient Roman treasure. Cumberbatch will star as Henry Sugar for the series.

Netflix and the Roald Dahl Story Company released a joint statement in November 2018, when the acquisition had taken place:

Roald Dahl stories have long inspired award-winning feature films and stage productions. But now, for the first time, Netflix will bring together the highest quality creative, visual, and writing teams to extend the stories in this first-of-its-kind slate of premium animated event series and specials for audiences of all ages and for families to enjoy together. Netflix intends to remain faithful to the quintessential spirit and tone of Dahl while also building out an imaginative story universe that expands far beyond the pages of the books themselves.

Our mission, which is purposefully lofty, is for as many children as possible around the world to experience the unique magic and positive message of Roald Dahl’s stories,” Dahl’s widow, Felicity Dahl, said. “This partnership with Netflix marks a significant move toward making that possible and is an incredibly exciting new chapter for the Roald Dahl Story Company. Roald would, I know, be thrilled.

Melissa Cobb, Vice President of Kids & Family Content at Netflix, also spoke on the partnership, saying, “Immersing ourselves in the extraordinary worlds of Roald Dahl stories has been an honor and a massive amount of fun, and we are grateful for the trust the Roald Dahl Story Company and the Dahl family have placed in our team to deliver more moments of shared joy to families around the world.

Among all the titles Netflix will be able to make content around includes, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Matilda,” “The BFG,” “The Twits,” “Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator,” “George’s Marvellous Medicine,” “Boy – Tales of Childhood,” “Going Solo,” “The Enormous Crocodile,” “The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me,” “Henry Sugar,” “Billy and the Minpins,” “The Magic Finger,” “Esio Trot,” “Dirty Beasts,” and “Rhyme Stew”.

It looks like Netflix is going all-in on their purchase of the world of Roald Dahl. With so many memorable stories to choose from, I’ll be curious to see what the streamer announces next. Let us know which of Dahl’s novels you hope gets a Netflix adaptation in the comments section below.