Willy Wonka, James and that giant peach of his, and the little girl with the magic finger are all now owned by the streaming giant.
In a deal that is believed to have cost $1 billion, Netflix has taken over the rights to the vast Roald Dahl collection of books.
This means that along with the already planned titles which are currently in production, we're also going to be getting a lot more Wonka for our Netflix buck.
Roald Dahl Story Company (RDSC) will expand their existing deal with the production company, and have their eyes set on creating a marvellous universe that will span several formats. The plan is now for Netflix to create a Roald Dahl universe which will include live-action films and TV series, animations, games, immersive experiences, live theatre and more. There are currently 19 productions in the pipeline.
A deal between the two companies was initially conceived in 2018. Already on the agenda are two animated series from director Taika Waititi, - one based on 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', and the other inspired by Willy Wonka's Oompa-Loompas. Also in the pipeline is an adaptation of Tim Minchin's 'Matilda The Musical', which has been extremely popular on both the West End and Broadway.
With so many other famous and nostalgic creations and adaptations already out there, it will be interesting to see where Netflix goes with this new acquiring of the works of Roald Dahl.
In recent memory, the streaming giant has faced stiff competition with new and upcoming streaming services such as Disney+ and Amazon Prime. With more and more coming out of the woodwork each year, including HBO Max and Hulu, each platform is vying to be the leading choice for when it comes to a customer picking which service best suits them.
With Disney+ having an enormous back catalogue of content for younger viewers, Netflix acquiring the works of Roald Dahl sees them take another step towards this market.
