Acclaimed director Wes Anderson is no stranger to Roald Dahl. In 2009, he adapted the author’s novel Fantastic Mr. Fox into an animated feature, which went on to be nominated for two Academy Awards. This year, Anderson helmed Asteroid City, but it’s not his only new protect. The director was recently seen at the Venice Film Festival premiering 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. During the event, Anderson confirmed that he plans to make an anthology of shorts that will include Dahl’s stories, “The Swan,” “Poison,” and “The Ratcatcher.” The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is heading to Netflix this month and sees Marvel star Benedict Cumberbatch in the titular role. Today, the streaming site released a trailer for the upcoming short.
“Wes Anderson takes you into the world of The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar — premiering September 27,” Netflix shared. The adaptation is expected to clock in at 37 minutes. You can check out the trailer below:
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What Is The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar About?
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is based on the real-life tale of mystic Kuda Bux and follows the story of a gambler who learns the art of meditation in hopes of learning to see through playing cards. In addition to Cumberbatch, the short film stars Ben Kingsley, Richard Ayoade, Dev Patel, Ralph Fiennes, and Rupert Friend.
“I knew Roald Dahl since before we made Fantastic Mr. Fox,” Anderson shared with IndieWire. “I met Lindsay Dahl, his widow, when we were shooting The Royal Tenenbaums like 20 years ago. For years I wanted to do Henry Sugar. They set this story aside for me because I was friends with them. Lindsay kind of handed the torch to Luke, Dahl’s grandson. So I had this waiting for me. But I really couldn’t figure out the approach. I knew what I liked in the story was the writing of it, Dahl’s words. I couldn’t find the answer, and then suddenly I did.”
Are you excited about Wes Anderson’s next project? Tell us in the comments!
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is headed to Netflix on September 27. Anderson’s most recent feature film, Asteroid City, is now available for purchase.
