Call it Netflix’s golden ticket — or maybe its goose that lays the golden egg? Regardless of your preferred Charlie and the Chocolate Factory metaphor, there’s a lot of money involved. The streamer announced it has bought the Roald Dahl Story Company, giving it ownership over the full catalogue of children’s literature. Netflix already has an animated series adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (from Taika Waititi and Zootopia writer Phil Johnston) and an adaptation of Matilda the Musical in the works, stemming from an earlier partnership with the Roald Dahl Story Company. Dahl’s catalogue has been fruitful for adaptations over the years, also including titles like James and the Giant Peach, The Witches, The BFG, and Fantastic Mr. Fox. (In just the past 12 months, Timothée Chalamet has been cast in a Willy Wonka origin story and HBO Max released a new adaptation of The Witches.)
With the deal, Netflix is dreaming up “a unique universe across animated and live action films and TV, publishing, games, immersive experiences, live theatre, consumer products, and more,†per a statement on the news. The purchase was for an undisclosed sum, but a September 21 Bloomberg report on the rumored move noted that Netflix rarely makes acquisitions, and that “this would be its biggest.†The Hollywood Reporter previously valued Netflix’s 2018 partnership with the Roald Dahl Story Company between $500 million and $1 billion. In its statement, Netflix compared the full acquisition to a scene from Dahl himself: “There is a moment in James and the Giant Peach when the Ladybird says: ‘We are now about to visit the most marvelous places and see the most wonderful things!’. The Centipede replies, ‘there is no knowing what we shall see!’.â€