Netflix has set a major ensemble cast for its new six-part series based on Roald Dahl’s short stories for adults, with Nicola Coughlan, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West and Naomi Scott among those joining the currently untitled drama. The series comes from writer Danny Brocklehurst, whose credits include Fool Me Once, Run Away and Brassic, and will bring several of Dahl’s darker short stories together through one overarching story. Production is now underway in Manchester and the north of England.
Netflix’s synopsis reads: “Brocklehurst weaves a deliciously twisted tale made up of Roald Dahl’s iconic short stories for adult audiences. A young couple, marooned in a faded seaside town, must face con men, adulterers, murderous mothers, and snake charmers as they attempt to escape before their own fate is sealed …”
The cast includes Naomi Scott (Smile 2, Aladdin), Josh Finan (Say Nothing, Waiting for the Out), Imelda Staunton (The Crown, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton, The Magic Faraway Tree), Toby Jones (Mr Bates vs The Post Office, MobLand), Carmen Ejogo (Selma, The Penguin), Dominic West (The Wire, The Crown), Christine Tremarco (Adolescence, The Responder), Michael Socha (The Cage, Showtrial) and Clarke Peters (The Boroughs, The Wire).
Brocklehurst has spoken previously about his admiration for Dahl and described the opportunity to adapt his work as a dream come true. “His enthralling, macabre and always unexpected tales gave life to vibrant, larger-than-life characters like The Landlady, Mister Boggis and the mysterious Fingersmith,” he said. “To be given the chance to bring these characters to life in a contemporary setting is a dream come true.”
Runyararo Mapfumo, whose credits include Sex Education and KAOS, and Ben Gregor, director of The Magic Faraway Tree and Brassic, will direct the series. It is produced by Orchid Pictures, with Suzanne Mackie and Gabriel Silver serving as executive producers alongside Brocklehurst. Sarah Lewis serves as series producer.
The project marks another expansion of Netflix’s work with Roald Dahl’s stories after the streamer acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company in 2021. Netflix has already released Wes Anderson’s Oscar-winning The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and its accompanying Dahl shorts, with reality competition The Golden Ticket, inspired by the world of Willy Wonka, also in development.
For CultureCues, this is already looking like a wonderful cast, and as longtime Roald Dahl fans we are very much looking forward to seeing Netflix explore the darker, more adult side of his writing. Bringing a number of those stories together across one six-part drama feels like a great way to introduce another side of Dahl’s work, and with Nicola Coughlan, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Toby Jones and Naomi Scott all involved, there is a lot to be excited about.
Netflix has not yet announced a release date for the untitled Roald Dahl series.
Nikki Murray is a UK-based writer, screenwriter and founder & editor of CultureCues, covering film, television, music and pop culture. Her work focuses on storytelling and the moments shaping modern entertainment.