OMG! Netflix Is Making New Versions of Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and More Roald Dahl Classics

The BFG, The Twits and other famous titles are part of a new deal

By Chris Harnick Nov 27, 2018 4:46 PMTags
MatildaTriStar Pictures

Hold onto your childhood because Netflix is about to rock it. The streaming service announced it's going to make new takes on Roald Dahl classics like Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG.

"Our mission, which is purposefully lofty, is for as many children as possible around the world to experience the unique magic and positive message of Roald Dahl's stories," Felicity Dahl, Roald Dahl's widow, said in a statement. "This partnership with Netflix marks a significant move toward making that possible and is an incredibly exciting new chapter for the Roald Dahl Story Company. Roald would, I know, be thrilled."

The classic tales will be made into animated event series by the streaming giant.

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Titles in development as part of the deal between Netflix and The Rolad Dahl Story Company include: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, The Twits, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, George's Marvellous Medicine, Boy – Tales of Childhood, Going Solo, The Enormous Crocodile, The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me, Henry Sugar, Billy and the Minpins, The Magic Finger, Esio Trot, Dirty Beasts, and Rhyme Stew.

"Immersing ourselves in the extraordinary worlds of Roald Dahl stories has been an honor and a massive amount of fun, and we are grateful for the trust the Roald Dahl Story Company and the Dahl family have placed in our team to deliver more moments of shared joy to families around the world," Melissa Cobb, vice president of kids & family content at Netflix, said in a statement. "We have great creative ambition to reimagine the journeys of so many treasured Dahl characters in fresh, contemporary ways with the highest quality animation and production values."

In a joint release, the two companies said, "Netflix intends to remain faithful to the quintessential spirit and tone of Dahl while also building out an imaginative story universe that expands far beyond the pages of the books themselves."

Production on the first animated series is set to begin in 2019.

"Netflix is known for innovative and high-quality storytelling," Gideon Simeloff, strategy director for The Roald Dahl Story Company, said in a statement. "There is no other place in the world that can deliver animated entertainment for the whole family at such quality and scale."