Netflix Assembles Star Cast for Roald Dahl Adult Stories Series, Now Filming in Manchester
Netflix has ordered an untitled six-part series adapting Roald Dahl's adult short stories, with Nicola Coughlan, Naomi Scott, Dominic West, and Josh Finan set to star. The show is now filming in Manchester and the North West of England, according to The Hollywood Reporter (THR, 26 August 2026).
The cast runs deep. Imelda Staunton, Toby Jones, Carmen Ejogo, Christine Tremarco, Michael Socha, and Clarke Peters also feature. Danny Brocklehurst — whose credits include Brassic and The Stranger — writes the series, with Runyararo Mapfumo and Ben Gregor directing.
Here is the thing that may catch readers off guard: these are not the Dahl stories most people know. No chocolate factories, no giant peaches. Dahl wrote dark, twisted short fiction for adults throughout his career, and this series draws from that body of work. The plot follows a young couple marooned in a faded seaside town who must navigate conmen, adulterers, murderous mothers, and snake charmers as they try to escape before their fate is sealed (THR, 26 August 2026).
Orchid Pictures produces, with Gabriel Silver and Suzanne Mackie executive producing alongside Brocklehurst. Sarah Lewis serves as series producer. The production is based in the UK, with filming under way as of August 2026.
The series is the latest entry in Netflix's broader Dahl adaptation slate. The streamer produced four Wes Anderson-directed short film adaptations of Dahl stories, including The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, which starred Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, and Richard Ayoade (Netflix Tudum, 8 December 2023). In April, Netflix also announced an animated feature titled Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory, led by Kit Connor and Taika Waititi (THR, 26 August 2026).
What sets this new series apart is tone. Where the Wes Anderson shorts were stylised and whimsical, and the animated feature aims at a family audience, the adult-stories adaptation leans into the macabre. Dahl's grown-up fiction is where his gift for the grotesque runs unchecked, and a six-part series gives room for multiple tales to braid together.
Coughlan, best known for Bridgerton and Derry Girls, continues a run of high-profile screen work. Scott starred in Aladdin and Smile 2. West's credits span The Crown and The Wire. The ensemble gives Netflix a recognisable cast to anchor material that, by design, sits outside the family-friendly lane Dahl's name usually signals.
No release date has been announced.
