Picture: Netflix
It’s been a few years since we last examined Netflix’s activities regarding the Roald Dahl library and its planned movie and TV show adaptations. With the recently announced reality series, here’s an updated guide to what’s on Netflix right now and what’s coming next.
As you may remember, Netflix first announced its partnership with The Roald Dahl Story Company in 2018 when it gained the ability to adapt the works of over 15 of the prolific author’s books. A few years later, they went one step further, acquiring the entire company in 2021.
Since Netflix has taken over the library of beloved books, they’ve mostly been flying under the radar. Still, they have struck numerous partnerships and laid on events such as an Afternoon Tea London event in 2024 and tie-ins with the Jumeirah hotel group. That’s in addition to new stage plays like the newly announced adaptation of The BFG and a new UK and Ireland tour announced for Matilda.
As a reminder of some of the stories written by Dahl, his catalog included James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, The Twits, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Enormous Crocodile, and The Witches. We should also note that adaptations are still happening outside of Netflix, with the most notable recent example being Wonka, which Warner Bros. Pictures produced.
Roald Dahl Adaptations on Netflix
Note: Netflix has a specific category code for Roald Dahl adaptations, which is as follows: 81670109.
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical (2022)
Book First Published: 1988
On-Screen Adaptations Before Netflix: 1
Netflix Release Date: December 25th, 2022 (Note: Movie has been removed from Netflix UK)
Picture: Netflix
The 1996 film Matilda is often remembered fondly by all those who were growing up during the 90s, and suffice to say it is still enjoyed by plenty of children today.
Teaming up with Working Title Films and Sony Pictures for distribution in the UK, Netflix released this all-star family musical on Christmas Day in 2022. The adaptation is of Tim Minchin’s Tony Award-winning musical of the same name, with Matthew Warchus directing.
The movie’s cast included Emma Thompson, who perfectly embodied Agatha Trunchbull, and Alisha Weir, who put in a stunning performance as Matilda Wormwood. Lashana Lynch, Stephen Graham, and Andrea Riseborough rounded out the cast.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, The Swan, Poison, The Ratcatcher
Book First Published: 1977 – The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More
On-Screen Adaptations Before Netflix: 0
Netflix Release Date: September 27th-30th, 2023 (Re-release in March 2024)
Cr. Netflix ©2023
For a few years, we knew that Wes Anderson was working away on a short story for Netflix, but what was eventually released was four short stories with a shared cast. Anderson is best known for movies like The Grand Budapest Hotel and Fantastic Mr. Fox. As a reminder, the shorts released included:
- The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar – 49 minutes
- The Swan – 17 minutes
- Poison – 17 minutes
- The Rat Catcher – 17 minutes
Each short was released on Netflix over a week. The first short film, which featured an ensemble led by Ralph Fiennes, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, and Richard Ayoade, won an Oscar for Netflix during the 2024 awards. In March 2024, Netflix released a version of all four shorts combined into a single title, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More.
Roald Dahl Adaptations Coming Soon to Netflix
The Twits
Current Status: Coming to Netflix in 2025
The Twits Netflix Animated Movie
There were plans for many years to produce a feature film for The Twits, but the project was abandoned around 2012. John Cleese was set to write the script, along with Kirk De Micco. Disney would have produced the film alongside the animation studio Vanguard Film & Animation.
In July 2021, we first reported that the project was moving forward and had hired Wreck-It Ralph writer Phil Johnston to join the project. In 2022, The Wrap reported that the limited series plans for The Twits had been scrapped and were then being developed as a movie.
The logline for the movie is as follows: “Two orphans join forces with a family of magical animals to save their city from the powerful Mr. and Mrs. Twit, the meanest, smelliest, nastiest people in the world.” Natalie Portman, Emilia Clarke, Margo Martindale, and Johnny Vegas lead the voice cast.
JellyFish Pictures is the animation studio delivering the movie for Netflix. As you may have heard, the studio has now closed due to larger industry shifts. They also worked on Netflix’s Wolf King series as well as Dog Man for DreamWorks Animation.
The Golden Ticket – A Netflix Competition Series
Current Status: Casting
In March 2025, Netflix announced it had begun casting for a brand new reality series based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Titled The Golden Ticket, the new series is being made by Fremantle under its label Eureka.
Lucky players with a rare golden ticket will get to step inside Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Once inside, it’s game on. You’ll need quick thinking, solid strategy, and serious grit to survive what’s coming. Set in a wild retro-futuristic world, this intense social experiment is said to push contestants to their limits with mind games, challenges, and temptations that test how well you can handle the chaos.
“We are thrilled to bring the magic of The Chocolate Factory to life like never before,” said Jeff Gaspin, Vice President of Unscripted at Netflix. “This one-of-a-kind reality competition blends adventure, strategy, and social dynamics, creating an experience that is as captivating as it is unpredictable. For the first time, a lucky few won’t just have to imagine the experience — they’ll get to step inside the factory and live it.”
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Animated Projects
First Published: 1964
Previous On-Screen Adaptations: 2
Netflix Release Date: TBA
Rewinding to 2020, Netflix announced a pair of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory series. Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit) would write, direct, and executive produce two original series. The first was described as being “based on the world and characters of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” while the second is “a wholly original take on the Oompa-Loompas,” the laborers in the factory. Both were referred to as event series, which, in layman’s terms, is a limited series.
In February 2022, Mikros Animation was publicly attached to the Taika Waititi animated series which it called both a “long form series” in addition to tit being an “event series”. A subsequent Q&A on the site in March 2023 said the new series would “accompany us for the next 2 years,” meaning it would complete sometime in 2025. We should also note that the bankruptcy of its parent company impacted Mikros Animation, although Rodeo FX has now rescued it as of March 2025.
While we’ve found plenty of people actively or recently working on what’s just dubbed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, we haven’t found the same for the Oompa Loompa project that’s thought to be called The Oompa-Loompas, so that project isn’t guaranteed.
One person we found connected to the title lists themselves as a VFX Supervisor since November 2021 and refers to a project as a feature film writing that he “works closely with the Creative Producers and the Art Director to establish the look for an animated feature film based on the Dahl franchise.”
We should also note that some concept art for Netflix’s iteration of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory reportedly leaked through a video and several pictures online in 2023. However, we have not verified their authenticity, although it does resemble some of Mikros Animation’s prior work.
Untitled Matilda Animation Series
Current Status: Expected to be canceled
A Matilda animated series was among the first announcements
In April 2022, it was reported that Ava DuVernay was quietly working away on a new Matilda adaptation by Puck News. The plot was revealed to “follow a grown-up Matilda and an 8-year-old, gifted Black girl who travel the world, X-Men style, and recruit other special kids for their boarding school.” Beyond that logline, the rest of the story was about behind-the-scenes troubles regarding the show that we don’t necessarily want to get bogged down with here. The only other fact we know is that Jordana Arkin was involved as an EP. From what we can tell, most work on the series ceased in the summer of 2022, shortly after that report from Puck and a larger one from The Wrap about how numerous projects had been scrapped as Netflix downsized its animation ambitions.
Those are the Roald Dahl adaptations in the works and on Netflix right now – do you wish there was more? Let us know in the comments.
