EXCLUSIVE: Netflix will delve deeper into the world of Roald Dahl with a new series based on the author’s short stories for adults.
The streaming giant has enlisted Danny Brocklehurst, the man behind hit series Fool Me Once, to write a six-part drama that will chart a course through some of Dahl’s vignettes.
It is another signal of Netflix’s ambition to mine Dahl’s archives after the company greenlit competition series The Golden Ticket, based on the world of Willy Wonka. Netflix acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company in 2021.
Brocklehurst’s untitled drama has set a cast including Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan, The Crown‘s Imelda Staunton, and The Wire actor Dominic West.
Watch on Deadline
Other cast members include Naomi Scott (Smile 2), Josh Finan (Say Nothing), Toby Jones (MobLand), Carmen Ejogo (The Penguin), Christine Tremarco (Adolescence), Michael Socha (The Cage), and Clarke Peters (The Boroughs).
Here’s the logline: “Brocklehurst weaves a deliciously twisted tale through Roald Dahl’s iconic short stories. A young couple, marooned in a faded seaside town, navigate conmen, adulterers, murderous mothers and snake charmers as they attempt to escape before their own fate is sealed.”
The series will be produced by Orchid Pictures, founded by The Crown producer Suzanne Mackie. Orchid is currently making Peter Morgan’s The Boys from Brazil for Netflix.
Brocklehurst has admired Dahl since he was a child, saying in interviews that the author was the first writer he wanted to emulate.
“His enthralling, macabre and always unexpected tales gave life to vibrant, larger-than-life characters like The Landlady, Mister Boggis and the mysterious Fingersmith,” he said. “To be given the chance to bring these characters to life in a contemporary setting is a dream come true.”
Executive producers are Gabriel Silver (Chernobyl) and Mackie for Orchid Pictures and Brocklehurst. Sarah Lewis is series producer. Directors are Runyararo Mapfumo (Sex Education) and Ben Gregor (The Magic Faraway Tree). Filming is underway in Manchester.
