Wes Anderson is shaking things up in the film world, partnering with Netflix for his next project, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. This will be his second Roald Dahl adaptation based on the short story following Fantastic Mr. Fox. Anderson added Rupert Friend and Richard Ayoade (The IT Crowd) to the cast this week. Last week, it was announced that Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel and Ben Kingsley had signed on for the feature. Friend has just completed his second Wes Anderson film, Asteroid City, following The French Dispatch. This will be Richard Ayoade's first time in the Andersonverse.For those not familiar with the story, the book is actually a story-within-a-story-within-a-story-within-a-story. A book, within Roald Dahl's short story, is found on a friend's shelf by a bored and silly playboy, Henry Sugar, whose day's frivolous activities are spoiled by a rainy day. With nothing to do, he picks up the book, and it tells of a doctor's tale that takes place in India, who has a patient visit him that claims he can see with his eyes closed. The book then launches into the patient's tale of how he acquired those powers. It was years of tutelage by a master in yoga and meditation. The doctor decides to publish his findings, and then our tale comes back to Sugar determined to master seeing with his eyes closed. He has plans to win a fortune at the casinos. He does! However, he finds that the money did not bring him happiness, so he tosses it out of the window. It turns out the charity fulfills him. He begins to secretly, with the help of his accountant, create orphanages around the world with his infinite winnings. When Sugar dies, the accountant then writes Henry Sugar's tale, starting from the very beginning.

Netflix Has Acquired Roald Dahl's Entire Catalog

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos wrote in a blog post: "There is a moment in James and the Giant Peach when the Ladybird says: "We are now about to visit the most marvelous places and see the most wonderful things!" The Centipede replies, "There is no knowing what we shall see!" Netflix and The Roald Dahl Story Company share a deep love of storytelling and a growing, global fan base. Together, we have an extraordinary opportunity to write multiple new chapters of these beloved stories, delighting children and adults around the world for generations to come."

Roald Dahl's catalog includes familiar family-friendly favorites, but his books that were intended for a more adult audience that delve into themes of war and his time as a World War II fighter pilot are rich in source material. In his time, his writing was criticized for the children in his book seeking revenge on adults. It seems quaint now, but even such benign reads as Matilda had critics balking at a child seeking revenge. "Children are ... highly critical. And they lose interest so quickly," he asserted in his New York Times book review interview. "You have to keep things ticking along. And if you think a child is getting bored, you must think up something that jolts it back. Something that tickles. You have to know what children like." Netflix has the entire Dahl estate with seemingly endless possibilities.