Scene from The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar — Netflix

4 New Roald Dahl Short Films from Wes Anderson Are Coming to Streaming Soon

Here's how to watch the blind gamblers, rat exterminators and poisonous snakes from the comfort of your couch.

Author:
Matthew Huff
Sep 19, 2023

There's no better birthday surprise for a Libra than a new Wes Anderson movie, and this year as a treat, the stylish director is gifting Libras with not one, but four new short films. The four new movies, all less than 40 minutes and inspired by Roald Dahl short stories, will be rolling out as part of a Wes Anderson week on Netflix with release dates at the end of September. Their star studded casts include Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel and Sir Ben Kinglsey.

Most recently, Anderson wowed audiences with the summer release of Asteroid City, which starred Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Owen Wilson and many others as attendees of a stargazing convention in the middle of the desert. Anderson has also directed Best Picture nominee The Grand Budapest Hotel and of course the adaptation of another classic Roald Dahl novel The Fantastic Mr. Fox.

According to an interview with Netflix, Anderson has been trying to adapt Dahl's "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" for years, but couldn't figure out how to tell the story without Dahl's words. So for these four short story adaptations, Anderson opted to use the full Dahl texts, making sort of filmed audiobooks. The entirety of each story is read with "the cast reciting Dahl’s words directly to the audience while acting them out, and set pieces cycling in and out as if in a stage play." While this might sound odd, it feels right at home for Anderson's aesthetic, given that he basically made a filmed version of The New Yorker a few years ago in The French Dispatch.

Here's everything you need to know about Wes Anderson's four new Roald Dahl short story adaptations.

Which Roald Dahl stories is Wes Anderson adapting?

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Perhaps the most well known short story in the Wes Anderson adaptations is "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar," which was published in 1977 as the headliner in his collection The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More. The tale follows Sugar, a wealthy man, who learns of a medical anomaly in which another man can see without using his eyes. Sugar determines that he'd like to use this skill to win lots of money as a gambler. This short film premiered at the Venice Film Festival to rave reviews.

The Swan

"The Swan" was also originally published in the 1977 collection The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More and includes one of Dahl's favorite tropes: a small underdog child who is bullied.

The Rat Catcher

"The Ratcatcher" is a lesser known Dahl short story that was originally published in his 1953 collection Someone Like You and tells the tale of a professional exterminator.

Poison

"Poison," which Dahl wrote for the magazine Collier's in 1950, is one of his more often adapted works. In 1950 it was adapted for radio on Escape, in 1958 Alfred Hitchcock turned it into an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and in 1980 it was used for an episode on Tales of the Unexpected. It is about a man who finds a poisonous snake in his bed.

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When do Wes Anderson's Roald Dahl short films premiere?

Wes Anderson's four short films based on Roald Dahl stories will debut on successive days on Netflix. The release schedule is as follows:

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar - Wednesday, Sept. 27
The Swan - Thursday, Sept. 28
The Rat Catcher - Friday, Sept. 29
Poison - Saturday, Sept. 30

Where can I watch Wes Anderson's Roald Dahl short films?

The four Wes Anderson Roald Dahl adaptations will be available exclusively on Netflix. The first film debuts on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, and all four will be available starting on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023.

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Who is in the cast of Wes Anderson's Roald Dahl short films?

The Wonderful Life of Henry Sugar — Netflix

The cast of all four Wes Anderson short films adapted from Roald Dahl stories are largely the same, with a rotating cast playing multiple roles across the collection. The main cast includes:

Ralph Fiennes

Fiennes previously worked with Anderson as the lead in The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Rupert Friend

Friend appeared in both of Anderson's previous two films The French Dispatch and Asteroid City.

Benedict Cumberbatch

This is the first time Cumberbatch is working with Anderson, but his previous work includes Oscar-nominated performances in The Imitation Game and The Power of the Dog.