Netflix is establishing a Roald Dahl cinematic universe of sorts: The streaming service announced today that it will adapt a number of Dahl’s beloved books into “animated event series” starting in 2019. In a collaboration with The Roald Dahl Story Company, Netflix will “extend” the stories of Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG, The Twits, and more beyond what previous live-action and/or animated adaptations have covered. According to the press release, “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”—presumably, adding on additional plotlines or connections between the works.
“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,” Felicity Dahl, the late Roald Dahl’s widow, said in the official announcement. “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.”
“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,” said Melissa Cobb, Vice President of Kids & Family Content at Netflix. “We have great creative ambition to reimagine the journeys of so many treasured Dahl characters in fresh, contemporary ways with the highest quality animation and production values.”
The complete list of titles to be adapted:
- 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
- Rhyme Stew
Production on the first series is set to begin in 2019. It’s unclear which one, though the official announcement video goes all-in on Wonka imagery:
