The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is a 2023 fantasy short film written, co-produced and directed by Wes Anderson, based on the 1977 short story "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" by Roald Dahl. It is the second film adaptation of a Dahl work directed by Anderson, the first being the Anderson film Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009).
The film premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 1st, 2023. It is the first of a four-part series of shorts adapted from Dahl's short stories, including "The Swan", "The Ratcatcher" and "Poison". Principal photography took place in London in January 2022. Robert Yeoman, who worked with Anderson on several previous projects including the recently released Asteroid City (our full review here), serves as cinematographer.
A rich man learns about a guru who can see without using his eyes, then sets out to master the skill in order to cheat at gambling.
The cast includes Benedict Cumberbatch as Henry Sugar, and also stars Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Rupert Friend, and Richard Ayoade.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is set to debut in limited theaters on September 20th, before a streaming release on Netflix September 27th. Watch the official trailer below.