Netflix may have just bought the golden ticket to winning the streaming wars as the platform announced it has acquired the rights to the Roald Dahl Story Company and its incredible (and beloved) catalogue of stories.
Titles from the author, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, Fantastic Mr Fox, are now under the Netflix umbrella and ripe for IP mining to bring these unique tales to a whole new generation of viewers.
The deal is said to be the streaming giants biggest to date.
In a statement sent by Netflix Co-CEO and Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos and Luke Kelly, managing director of the Roald Dahl Story Company, the pair explained: “This acquisition builds on the partnership we started three years ago to create a slate of animated TV series. For example, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi and Academy Award nominee Phil Johnston are now hard at work on a series based on the world of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
“In addition, we’re working with Sony and Working Title on an adaptation of Matilda The Musical.”
Sarandos and Kelly also revealed their more “ambitious” venture, which involves the creation of a “unique universe across animated and live-action films and TV, publishing, games, immersive experiences, live theatre, consumer products and more.”
Dahl’s works have been translated into 63 languages, sold more than 300 million copies worldwide and have resulted in several feature films such as The Witches, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda.
In their statement, Sarandos and Kelly referenced one of Dahl’s books, in particular, writing, “There is a moment in James and the Giant Peach when the Ladybird says: ‘We are now about to visit the most marvellous places and see the most wonderful things!’. The Centipede replies, ‘there is no knowing what we shall see!’
“Netflix and The Roald Dahl Story Company share a deep love of storytelling and a growing, global fan base. Together, we have an extraordinary opportunity to write multiple new chapters of these beloved stories, delighting children and adults around the world for generations to come.”
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