Netflix Releasing Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl Shorts As A 4-Night Event This Month

Earlier this year, Wes Anderson released the highly-anticipated film, “Asteroid City.” That film had a fancy festival debut and earned rave reviews, placing the filmmaker in his familiar awards season territory. But “Asteroid City” isn’t the only Anderson project coming to screens this year. Later this month, Netflix is the home of what might be the most experimental Anderson project we’ve ever seen. 

READ MORE: ‘The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar’ Review: Wes Anderson & Roald Dahl Are A Match Made In Cinema Heaven [Venice]

In a recent post on Netflix’s TUDUM, we got details about Wes Anderson’s upcoming series of Roald Dahl shorts, headlined by the recently premiered “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.” And over the past several months, there was discussion about how Netflix would release the anthology. Some thought it would be a typical Anderson film, utilizing anthology storytelling as he commonly does. However, what Netflix is doing is releasing each of the four shorts separately, creating, in essence, a Wes Anderson anthology series. 

READ MORE: ‘Asteroid City’: Bill Murray Is Actually In Wes Anderson’s Latest Film, Kind Of

The four shorts star Ralph Fiennes, Rupert Friend, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Richard Ayoade, and Ben Kingsley. These actors will play multiple roles over the course of the four shorts, creating a bit of a Roald Dahl acting troupe.

“I like the idea, right off the bat, of having a little company play the whole film,” Anderson said. “They took it and did it. You hand it to them, and then you step back and watch.”

“The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” will be the first of the shorts and will debut on Netflix on September 27. From there, the remaining three shorts, “The Swan,” “The Ratcatcher,” and “Poison,” will debut in the following days, on September 28, 29, and 30, respectively. 

You can read about each film below:

“The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”
Logline: A beloved Roald Dahl short story about a rich man who learns about a guru who can see without using his eyes and then sets out to master the skill in order to cheat at gambling.
Cast: Ralph Fiennes (Roald Dahl, Policeman), Benedict Cumberbatch (Henry Sugar, Max Engelman), Dev Patel (Dr. Chatterjee, John Winston), Ben Kingsley (Imdad Khan, Croupier), Richard Ayoade (Dr. Marshall, Yogi)
Runtime: 39 minutes

“The Swan”
Logline: A young adult Roald Dahl short story about a small/brilliant boy ruthlessly pursued by two large/idiotic bullies.
Cast: Rupert Friend (Narrator), Ralph Fiennes (Roald Dahl), Asa Jennings (Peter Watson)
Runtime: 17 minutes

“The Ratcatcher”
Logline: A lesser-known Roald Dahl short story about a professional rodent exterminator. 
Cast: Richard Ayoade (Editor/Reporter), Ralph Fiennes (Rat Man), Rupert Friend (Claud)
Runtime: 17 minutes

“Poison”
Logline: A well-known Roald Dahl short story about a man who discovers a poisonous snake asleep in his bed.
Cast: Dev Patel (Woods), Benedict Cumberbatch (Harry), Ralph Fiennes (Roald Dahl), Ben Kingsley (Dr. Ganderbai)
Runtime: 17 minutes