Pictures via Netflix and Sony Pictures
It’s been a year since we last examined Netflix’s activities regarding the Roald Dahl library and its planned movie and TV show adaptations. With the recently announced reality series and the huge news that the animated Charlie and the Chocolate Factory adaptation is now a feature film coming in 2027, here’s an updated guide to what’s on Netflix right now and what’s coming next.
As you may remember, Netflix first announced its partnership with The Roald Dahl Story Company in 2018 when it gained the ability to adapt the works of over 15 of the prolific author’s books. A few years later, they went one step further, acquiring the entire company in 2021.
Since Netflix has taken over the library of beloved books, they’ve mostly been flying under the radar. Still, they have struck numerous partnerships and held events such as an Afternoon Tea London event in 2024 and tie-ins with the Jumeirah hotel group. That’s in addition to new stage plays, such as the newly announced adaptation of The BFG, and a new UK and Ireland tour announced for Matilda.
As a reminder of some of the stories written by Dahl, his catalog included James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, The Twits, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Enormous Crocodile, and The Witches. We should also note that adaptations are still happening outside of Netflix, with the most notable recent example being Wonka, which Warner Bros. Pictures produced.
Every Roald Dahl Adaptation on Netflix
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical (2022)
Book First Published: 1988
On-Screen Adaptations Before Netflix: 1
Netflix Release Date: December 25th, 2022 (Note: Movie has been removed from Netflix UK)
Picture: Netflix
The 1996 film Matilda is often remembered fondly by all those who were growing up during the 90s, and suffice to say it is still enjoyed by plenty of children today.
Teaming up with Working Title Films and Sony Pictures for distribution in the UK, Netflix released this all-star family musical on Christmas Day in 2022. The adaptation is of Tim Minchin’s Tony Award-winning musical of the same name, with Matthew Warchus directing.
The movie’s cast included Emma Thompson, who perfectly embodied Agatha Trunchbull, and Alisha Weir, who put in a stunning performance as Matilda Wormwood. Lashana Lynch, Stephen Graham, and Andrea Riseborough rounded out the cast.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, The Swan, Poison, The Ratcatcher
Book First Published: 1977 – The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More
On-Screen Adaptations Before Netflix: 0
Netflix Release Date: September 27th-30th, 2023 (Re-release in March 2024)
Cr. Netflix ©2023
For a few years, we knew that Wes Anderson was working away on a short story for Netflix, but what was eventually released was four short stories with a shared cast. Anderson is best known for movies like The Grand Budapest Hotel and Fantastic Mr. Fox. As a reminder, the shorts released included:
- The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar – 49 minutes
- The Swan – 17 minutes
- Poison – 17 minutes
- The Rat Catcher – 17 minutes
Each short was released on Netflix over the course of a week. The first short film, which featured an ensemble led by Ralph Fiennes, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, and Richard Ayoade, won an Oscar for Netflix during the 2024 awards. In March 2024, Netflix released a version of all four shorts combined into a single title, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More.
The Twits (2025)
Book First Published: 1980
On-Screen Adaptations Before Netflix: 0
Netflix Release Date: Late 2025
The Twits Netflix Animated Movie
After languishing in development hell for over a decade—including an abandoned 2012 project that would have been produced by Disney and written by John Cleese—Netflix finally brought Mr. and Mrs. Twit to our screens in 2025.
Initially planned as a limited series, the project was retooled into a feature film in 2022 under the guidance of Wreck-It Ralph writer Phil Johnston. The deliciously gross animated movie follows two orphans who join forces with a family of magical animals to save their city from the powerful Mr. and Mrs. Twit, the meanest, smelliest, nastiest people in the world.
The film boasts a stellar voice cast led by Natalie Portman, Emilia Clarke, Margo Martindale, and Johnny Vegas.
JellyFish Pictures was the animation studio responsible for delivering the hilariously grotesque movie for Netflix. As you may remember, the studio sadly closed its doors due to larger industry shifts shortly after completing work on this film, making The Twits one of their final major releases alongside DreamWorks’ Dog Man.
Roald Dahl Adaptations Coming Soon to Netflix
The Golden Ticket – A Netflix Competition Series
Current Status: Confirmed for 2026 Release
In March 2025, Netflix announced it had begun casting for a brand new reality series based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Titled The Golden Ticket, the new series is being made by Fremantle under its label Eureka.
Lucky players with a rare golden ticket will get to step inside Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Once inside, it’s game on. You’ll need quick thinking, solid strategy, and serious grit to survive what’s coming. Set in a wild retro-futuristic world, this intense social experiment is said to push contestants to their limits with mind games, challenges, and temptations that test how well you can handle the chaos.
“We are thrilled to bring the magic of The Chocolate Factory to life like never before,” said Jeff Gaspin, Vice President of Unscripted at Netflix. “This one-of-a-kind reality competition blends adventure, strategy, and social dynamics, creating an experience that is as captivating as it is unpredictable. For the first time, a lucky few won’t just have to imagine the experience — they’ll get to step inside the factory and live it.”
Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory Animated Feature Film
First Published: 1964 (Original Book)
Previous On-Screen Adaptations: 3
Netflix Release Date: 2027
Rewinding to 2020, Netflix announced a pair of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory series with Taika Waititi attached to write and direct. However, after a few years of quiet development, the project is now a feature film with a wild new premise, and those two series are expected to no longer be in the works.
Now officially titled Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory, the 2027 animated movie is a modern-day sequel where Willy Wonka has just been released from prison (for the crime of turning a child into a blueberry) and must defend his factory from a new generation of “rotten” kids—led by teenager Charlie Paley—who are plotting a heist to steal a priceless Wonka bar to save their homes.
Taika Waititi has stepped back from directing to serve as an Executive Producer and will voice Willy Wonka himself. Heartstopper star Kit Connor will voice the new Charlie Paley.
The film is a Netflix Animation Studio Original, directed by Jared Stern (The LEGO Batman Movie) and Elaine Bogan (Trollhunters), with the bold animation being handled by the Academy Award-winning team at Sony Pictures Imageworks (Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, The Sea Beast).
Untitled Matilda Animation Series
Current Status: Expected to be canceled
A Matilda animated series was among the first announcements
In April 2022, it was reported that Ava DuVernay was quietly working away on a new Matilda adaptation by Puck News. The plot was revealed to “follow a grown-up Matilda and an 8-year-old, gifted Black girl who travel the world, X-Men style, and recruit other special kids for their boarding school.” Beyond that logline, the rest of the story was about behind-the-scenes troubles regarding the show that we don’t necessarily want to get bogged down with here. The only other fact we know is that Jordana Arkin was involved as an EP. From what we can tell, most work on the series ceased in the summer of 2022, shortly after that report from Puck and a larger one from The Wrap about how numerous projects had been scrapped as Netflix downsized its animation ambitions.
Those are the Roald Dahl adaptations in the works and on Netflix right now – do you wish there were more? Let us know in the comments.
