No one writes children’s books like Roald Dahl anymore. The guy penned some of the most twisted, macabre, and brilliant kids’ stories out there over the course of his unparalleled career, from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to James and the Giant Peach and beyond. Who else could crank out tales of evil, bearded mutants or the systematic murders of children for elementary schoolers and somehow manage to make them funny? The man was a genius.
There are already plenty of Dahl adaptations for the screen out there, some better than others, but it looks like we’ll soon be getting a whole lot more—because Netflix is creating an honest-to-God Roald Dahl Cinematic Universe.
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On Tuesday, the streaming service announced plans to partner with Dahl’s estate to develop a slate of new animated programming based on the author’s greatest books, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, The Twits, Matilda, The BFG, and more.
“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,” Dahl’s widow, Felicity Dahl, said in a statement. “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.”
“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,” Netflix’s VP of Kids and Family Content, Melissa Cobb, added.
According to Netflix, these new projects will involve both “animated event series” and one-off “specials,” and are set to go into production next year, though there’s still no word on release dates. Regardless, a shit ton of Roald Dahl adaptations are on the way, and that’s a good thing. Get ready to watch Willy Wonka fight some goddamn vermicious knids on a space mission, everybody.
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