The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar - when’s it on Netflix, how many Roal Dahl stories has Wes Anderson filmed?

Having made its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival last month, Wes Anderson’s latest Roal Dahl adaptation, ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,’ is finally arriving on Netflix - and in typical Anderson fashion, brings with it another incredible ensemble of acting talent.

It was a purple patch for Anderson at this year’s festival, with the director picking up the Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker prize ahead of the world premiere of the film. The prolific director’s latest work comes only months after the release of his full-length feature, ‘Asteroid City,’ alongside a collection of shorts created for Netflix ahead of the release of ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.’

As opposed to ‘Asteroid City,’ however, ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’ was screened out of competition at the Venice Film Festival, though reviewers after its premiere were once more incredibly complimentary towards Anderson’s new work. 

It currently holds a 96% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the general consensus for the film reading “With ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’, Wes Anderson returns to the world of Roald Dahl -- and proves his distinctive style is a comfortable fit for one of the author's sweetest stories”

Is your appetite wet for a smaller slice of Wes Anderson’s creative output compared to his other works? 

What is ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’ about?

Netflix’s admittedly brief synopsis for the film (with good reason - more later) reads: “A beloved Roald Dahl story about a rich man who learns about a guru who can see without using his eyes and then sets out to master the skill in order to cheat at gambling.”

Who stars in ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’?

Compared to other Wes Anderson movies, it’s a small, consolidated cast involved in the film, but by no means does that make it none the more illustrious:

• Ralph Fiennes 
• Benedict Cumberbatch 
• Dev Patel 
• Ben Kingsley 
• Richard Ayoade

How long is ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’?

Only five actors and a brief synopsis - how long of a movie is this, you may ask yourself? It’s only a 40-minute feature, which would explain the small cast and lack of a bigger synopsis for the film. But it’s also a perfect palate cleanser if you want to do a Wes Anderson marathon ahead of the home release of ‘Asteroid City.’

How many Roal Dahl stories has Wes Anderson adapted to film now?

So far, Wes Anderson has adapted two Roal Dahl stories for screen - alongside ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,’ Ander-stans will recall his adaptation of ‘The Fantastic Mr Fox’ in 2009 which featured the voice acting talents of George Clooney and Bill Murray.

But that is all set to change, with Netflix revealing that Anderson will also be heading three more features based on Dahl’s ‘Henry Sugar’ anthology: ‘The Swan’, ‘The Ratcatcher’, and ‘Poison’.

When can I watch ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’ on Netflix?

‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’ releases on Netflix in the United Kingdom on September 27 2023 at 8am.