Is Wes Anderson looking to challenge Ridley Scott in terms of prolific output? He's already got Asteroid City chugging through post-production and is close to kicking off filming on another project, this time Roald Dahl adaptation The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar. He's nabbed quite the cast already, with Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel and Ben Kingsley all involved.
Anderson adapted the script from Dahl's book The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar And Six More, which was published in 1982 and blends factual work with fictional short stories. The main tale focuses on Henry Sugar, a man who steals a book that shows him how to see through objects and predict the future. This touches off a series of misadventures that involve evading Mafia henchmen, working with a Hollywood makeup artist to craft new identities and setting up orphanages around the world. Cumberbatch is on to be Sugar, as well as popping up in multiple roles across other stories.
It's all part of Netflix's giant deal that saw the company buy the rights to Dahl's entire catalogue. And it marks Anderson's second Dahl adaptation after 2009's Fantastic Mr. Fox, though Henry Sugar appears to be live-action. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the casting, which originally came from Baz Bamigboye.