Trailer: Wes Anderson’s Henry Sugar begins week of Roald Dahl shorts
David Farnor | On 23, Sep 2023
Wes Anderson is teaming up with Roald Dahl this September, with a week of new shorts based on his books – beginning with The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.
The shorts will feature an ensemble of actors each taking on multiple roles, including Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel) and Rupert Friend (Asteroid City), as well as Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog), Dev Patel (The Green Knight), Richard Ayoade (The Mighty Boosh), and Ben Kingsley (Hugo).
“When I finally had the moment of inspiration, the idea was: ‘I am equally interested in the way Dahl tells the story as I am in the story itself,’” said Anderson in an interview. “If I do it using his words, his descriptions, then maybe I know how to do it.”
The result is almost play-like, with each mini production unveiled daily throughout one week. It will begin with Henry Sugar on 27th September, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival.
“Ralph Fiennes, Benedict Cumberbatch and Ben Kingsley headline Wes Anderson’s colourful and entertaining short based on Roald Dahl’s story,” we wrote in our review.
It will be followed by The Swan, The Rat Catcher, and Poison. Read on for the full rundown:
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar – 27th September
A beloved Roald Dahl short story about a rich man who learns about a guru who can see without using his eyes and then sets out to master the skill in order to cheat at gambling.
Cast: Ralph Fiennes (Roald Dahl, Policeman), Benedict Cumberbatch (Henry Sugar, Max Engelman), Dev Patel (Dr. Chatterjee, John Winston), Ben Kingsley (Imdad Khan, Croupier), Richard Ayoade (Dr. Marshall, Yogi)
Runtime: 39 minutes
The Swan – 28th September
A young adult Roald Dahl short story about a small/brilliant boy ruthlessly pursued by two large/idiotic bullies.
Cast: Rupert Friend (Narrator), Ralph Fiennes (Roald Dahl), Asa Jennings (Peter Watson)
Runtime: 17 minutes
The Rat Catcher – 29th September
A lesser-known Roald Dahl short story about a professional rodent exterminator.
Cast: Richard Ayoade (Editor/Reporter), Ralph Fiennes (Rat Man), Rupert Friend (Claud)
Runtime: 17 minutes
Poison – 30th September
A well-known Roald Dahl short story about a man who discovers a poisonous snake asleep in his bed.
Cast: Dev Patel (Woods), Benedict Cumberbatch (Harry), Ralph Fiennes (Roald Dahl), Ben Kingsley (Dr. Ganderbai)
Runtime: 17 minutes
 :
Wes Anderson to direct Netflix adaptation of The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar
9th January 2022
Wes Anderson is set to direct an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar for Netflix, and he’s lined up an impressive cast to do it.
The streamer acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company recently, giving it an extensive library of family favourites to develop for its own original screen projects. The latest on the slate is The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar, a book made up of six short stories – including that of a swan and a boy, a wealthy young wastrel who develops a remarkable new ability and a hitchhiker whose light-fingers save the day.
The source material suggests that Anderson will opt for an anthology approach not unlike Netflix’s The Ballad of Buster Scruggs or Anderson’s The French Dispatch.
The Daily Mail’s Baz Bamigboye broke the news of the project, with Benedict Cumberbatch attached to star. Now, Deadline has confirmed that Cumberbatch will be joined by Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel and Ben Kingsley.
Anderson, of course, is no stranger to Dahl, having previously directed a stop-motion take on The Fantastic Mr Fox.