Taika Waititi to direct Roald Dahl series

New Zealand director Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit, Thor: Ragnarok, Hunt for the Wilderpeople) will write, direct, and executive produce two Roald Dahl animation series for Netflix.

The first is a series based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory while second is a wholly original take on the Oompa-Loompas, who will star in their own event series.

Netflix and The Roald Dahl Story Company announced reimaginings of many Roald Dahl stories, including Matilda, The BFG, The Twits, and others, in November 2018.

“I grew up reading Dahl stories and lived large parts of my young life in those magical worlds, so finding just the right creative partner to bring Willy Wonka, Charlie and the Oompa-Loompas to life in animation was a daunting task…until Taika walked into the room. Then, it was really obvious. If Dahl had created a character of a filmmaker to adapt his work, I’m pretty sure he would have created Taika,” said Netflix Vice President of Original Animation Melissa Cobb.

“In the words of Willy Wonka himself – we are ‘Delighted! Charmed! Overjoyed!’ with Taika’s appointment on this project. There is something undeniably Wonka-esque about Taika’s creative flair and inimitable sense of humor and we cannot think of anyone more perfectly suited to leading the creative charge on these first of their kind, feature quality Netflix shows,” added Gideon Simeloff, Commercial and Entertainment Director, Roald Dahl Story Company.

The first-of-its-kind slate of animated event series will bring together the highest quality creative teams – led by world-class filmmakers like Taika Waititi – to create premium animated content for families around the world.

The BFG, Matilda, The Twits, and a host of other iconic Roald Dahl stories will soon join Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Oompa-Loompas as Netflix becomes the home of a first-of-its-kind slate of animation extending across the Roald Dahl story universe. They will join a growing slate of Netflix animated feature films for families, including Academy Award nominated Klaus from Sergio Pablos, The Willoughbys from Kris Pearn and Over The Moon from Glen Keane in 2020.

Taika Waititi is best known for directing the critically-acclaimed blockbuster Thor: Ragnarok for Marvel, as well as the WWII satire Jojo Rabbit for Fox Searchlight. Waititi won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Jojo Rabbit, which he directed, wrote, produced, and starred in; the film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Previously Waititi wrote and directed the beloved indie films Hunt For The Wilderpeople, What We Do In The Shadows, Boy, and the Oscar-nominated short film, Two Cars, One Night. He is currently in post-production on the feature film Next Goal Wins, which he directed, wrote, and produced, and he will next write and direct Thor: Love and Thunder. In television, he directed the season one finale of The Mandalorian on Disney+, and he served as executive producer, co-writer, and director of last year’s TV adaptation of What We Do In The Shadows on FX, now going into its second season on FX.

With 300 million books sold and 1 new book sold every 2.5 seconds, the Roald Dahl brand has never been more popular, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is the #1 best-selling Roald Dahl title. With over 50 years of literary heritage, Willy Wonka has become one of the world’s most beloved fictional icons, recognised globally as the world’s most inventive confectionary creator.