You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t in some way been touched by Roald Dahl’s stories. Be it through his books themselves, or their respective movies (such as both adaptations of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Wes Anderson’s brilliant rendition of Fantastic Mr Fox) the author’s tales and the joy they elicit span generations. And the next stage in Roald Dahl storytelling appears to be on Netflix.
Netflix nostalgia bomb
On Wednesday the 22nd of September, Netflix announced that it had acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company (RDSC), the organisation responsible for keeping Dahl’s stories alive today.
The acquisition is the result of a partnership that began three years ago when both groups paired up to create a slew of animated TV series based on Dahl’s books. The fruits of which include an adaptation of Matilda the Musical in collaboration with Sony, and a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory series involving Taika Waititi and Phil Johnston. Both of these projects are currently still in development.
Netflix says that thanks to the RDSC acquisition, we can expect to see even more projects based on our favourite stories cropping up, soon. These aren’t limited to film and series, either, apparently. Netflix wants to put out projects in the realms of, “animated and live-action films and TV, publishing, games, immersive experiences, live theatre, consumer products and more.”
Netflix also assures fans that it will respect and maintain the integrity and value of some of our favourite stories. Which obviously remains to be seen, but we’re choosing to be hopeful, like Mr Dahl taught us.
“As we bring these timeless tales to more audiences in new formats, we’re committed to maintaining their unique spirit and their universal themes of surprise and kindness, while also sprinkling some fresh magic into the mix.”
