Overview
Asteroid City isn't 2023's only new Wes Anderson film. Wonka, if it does hit cinemas and isn't delayed to 2024 due to Hollywood's current strikes like the also Timothée Chalamet-starring Dune: Part Two, won't be the year's sole Roald Dahl adaptation, either. Adding a second title to both piles is The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, which sees filmmaking's foremost fan of symmetry and pastels take on a tale by the author who has defined many a childhood. Instantly excited? The end result arrives in September.
Netflix is bringing this 40-minute film to streaming, via a world-premiere slot out of competition at the Venice Film Festival first. Viewers at home will get to see the flick mere weeks after it plays the prestigious event, with The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar landing on the small screen on Wednesday, September 27.
The story? It's one of seven in Dahl's 1977 book The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More, telling of a wealthy man who is so fond of wagering that he comes up with a crafty plan. After discovering a guru who can see without using his eyes, he decides to learn to the same to cheat while having a bet.
Playing the gambler for Anderson is Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), as part of a cast that also includes Dev Patel (The Green Knight), Ben Kingsley (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Richard Ayoade (The Souvenir: Part II). In glorious news for The Grand Budapest Hotel fans, Ralph Fiennes (The Menu) also reteams with the director. Fingers crossed for more line readings that are so completely perfect that they're unforgettable.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
In fact, Fiennes is stepping into Dahl's own shoes in the film, as well as playing a policeman. All five announced high-profile cast members are doing double duty, which sounds wonderfully Andersonesque.
Anderson directs, writes and produces, while the filmmaker's regular cinematographer Robert D Yeoman and composer Alexandre Desplat also notch up their second of his projects this year — so it'll definitely look and sound like an Anderson film.
There's no trailer yet for The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, but you can enjoy the Asteroid City and The Grand Budapest Hotel clips instead in the interim:
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar will be available to stream via Netflix from Wednesday, September 27.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar images: courtesy of Netflix.