Wes Anderson is known for an array of films, including his adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature. This year, Anderson helmed Asteroid City, but it’s not his only new protect. The director is currently at the Venice Film Festival promoting his new short film, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, which is based on a short story featured in Dahl’s book, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More. In fact, Anderson confirmed that he plans to make an anthology of shorts that will include Dahl’s stories, “The Swan,” “Poison,” and “The Ratcatcher.” According to Variety, Anderson also addressed the recent controversy that the Roald Dahl Story Company plans to modify the late author’s works in the U.K.
“I don’t want even the artist to modify their work,” Anderson said. “I understand the motivation for it, but I sort of am in the school where, when the piece of work is done and the audience participates in it, we know it – I sort of think what’s done is done. And certainly, no one besides the author should be modifying the work – he’s dead.”
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According to a report by Publisher’s Weekly earlier this year, the United States along with European publishers outside of the U.K. will not be releasing the “new” versions of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Witches, and other works by the late Dahl. The Dahl Company maintains that the alterations were “small and carefully considered,” but that did not stop big names such as PEN America, Salman Rushdie, and the British Prime Minister from speaking out against the changes.
“Roald Dahl books published by Penguin Young Readers and distributed in the U.S. are the editions that have existed for years and do not reflect the recent editorial changes made in U.K. editions,” a representative for the publisher told Publisher’s Weekly. “Penguin Young Readers regularly reviews its backlist and Dahl titles will be reviewed accordingly.”
Asteroid City Is Now Available on Blu-ray:
Anderson’s most recent feature film, Asteroid City, is now available for purchase. You can view the bonus features below:
- The Making of Asteroid City – “With Wes Anderson as your guide, take a personal tour behind the scenes of Asteroid City and get insider’s access into set creation, performer preparation, music rehearsals and more.”
- Desert Town – “Wes Anderson pulls back the curtain on the creation of Asteroid City with an intimate look at what goes into building a town in the middle of a desert and bringing its quirks to life.”
- Doomsday Carnival (Digital, Blu-ray™, DVD Exclusive) – “Go even further inside Asteroid City as period costumes, classic cars, and camera tricks combine to create a bustling midway of carnival rides and lookie-loos anticipating an alien arrival.”
- Montana and Ranch Hands – “Witness a quiet prayer evolve into a hand-clapping country hoedown as the film’s fictional band inspires a sudden dance number through their banjo, bass, and washboard.”
- The Players (Digital, Blu-ray™, DVD Exclusive) – “Go behind-the-scenes with the stars of Asteroid City.”
- The Alien (Digital Exclusive) – “Designers come up with the concept and Jeff Goldblum suits up in the costume to create the captivating look and mesmerizing movements of the movie’s extraterrestrial creature.”
- The Roadrunner (Digital Exclusive) – “Get a peek at the planning, puppeteering, and careful camera positioning that animates an artificial animal with scene-stealing personality.”
How do you feel about changes being made to authors’ books after they pass? Tell us in the comments.
