Netflix Announces Premiere Date and Unveils Striking Poster for Wes Anderson's Highly-Anticipated Roald Dahl Short Film Adaptation

Summary

Wes Anderson is returning to the world of Roald Dahl with his new short movie, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.

Based on Dahl's story of the same name, the movie revolves around a wealthy gambler who discovers a distinctive form of meditation to engage in cheating. The film boasts an impressive ensemble cast, consisting of Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Richard Ayoade, and Ralph Fiennes. Audiences can catch the film on Netflix starting September 27.

Wes Anderson returns to the enchanting world of Roald Dahl in the debut poster for The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. This highly anticipated film serves as an adaptation of Dahl's captivating tale from The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More, centering around a wealthy gambler who seeks to harness a guru's meditative power in order to cheat by seeing without using his eyes. This film marks Anderson's second venture into Dahl's universe, following the critically acclaimed Fantastic Mr. Fox, which received Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score, although it ultimately did not secure either award, losing out to Up.

In anticipation of its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, Netflix has released the inaugural poster for The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.

Seen in the above image, the poster unveils our first glimpse of Benedict Cumberbatch in the role of the titular affluent gambler, suspended ever so slightly above the Earth's surface. Furthermore, the Netflix debut of this brief film has been disclosed for September 27, arriving just over twenty-one days following its initial presentation at a festival on September 1.

Everything We Know About The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Cumberbatch portrays Henry Sugar in the film, accompanied by a strong ensemble cast including Dev Patel from The Green Knight, Ben Kingsley, Rupert Friend, Richard Ayoade, and Ralph Fiennes portraying Dahl himself. This cast is comparatively smaller than Anderson's previous productions, such as the recent Asteroid City, which is understandable considering that this is a short film rather than a full-length feature.

Currently, it is unclear if the movie will cover all seven stories from Dahl's collection. Patel and Ayoade are confirmed to play doctors Chatterjee and Marshall, respectively, suggesting that Kingsley's Imdad Khan will be the peculiar patient from the novel that Henry seeks to learn meditation techniques from. However, since this character is already deceased when Sugar meets him, his presence is likely to be shown through flashbacks from Henry's acquisition of his detailed journal.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is rumored to be a 37-minute short film, suggesting that the other stories in the collection may not be adapted for the screen. However, if Ralph Fiennes' portrayal of Dahl is successful, there is a possibility that the autobiographical stories from the collection could be adapted. If Anderson and Netflix are pleased with the outcome of this project and acquire the Roald Dahl Story Company for future adaptations, they may collaborate again to bring the remaining stories to life.