The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is a 2023 American short film written, directed and co-produced by Wes Anderson. Based on the eponymous short story contained in the 1977 collection The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More by Roald Dahl, it is the second film adaptation of a Dahl work directed by Anderson, following Fantastic Mr. Fox in 2009, and the first of a four-part anthology of short films adapted from Dahl. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character alongside Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Rupert Friend, and Richard Ayoade. 

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2023. It will have a limited theatrical release on September 20, 2023, with a Netflix release on September 27, 2023.

Premise
A rich man learns about a guru who can see without using his eyes and then sets out to master the skill in order to cheat at gambling.

Cast
 Benedict Cumberbatch as Henry Sugar
 Ralph Fiennes as Roald Dahl
 Dev Patel as Dr. Chatterjee
 Ben Kingsley as Imdad Khan
 Rupert Friend as Claud
 Richard Ayoade as Dr. Marshall

Production
In September 2021, Netflix acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company for $686 million. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar project was confirmed on January 7, 2022, the day after it was reported that Wes Anderson was set to write and direct an adaptation of the Roald Dahl short story with Netflix distributing. It was announced that Benedict Cumberbatch would star as Sugar, with Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, and Ben Kingsley joining the cast. Rupert Friend and Richard Ayoade were later added to the cast. 

Principal photography began in London in January 2022. 

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar was originally reported to be a feature film, but director Wes Anderson stated in June 2023 that it is a collection of short films.

Release 
The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar premiered out-of-competition at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2023. The film will be having a limited theatrical release on September 20, 2023. One week later it will be released on Netflix on September 27, 2023; it was initially set to be released on October 13, 2023.

Reception 
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar holds an approval rating of 100%, based on 13 critic reviews with an average rating of 8.9/10. On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 85 out of 100, based on 10 reviews indicating "universal acclaim".

In Variety, Peter Debruge called the film "delightfully tight" and added that Dahl's short story "proves a good match for Anderson's intricate approach". Similarly, Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is a perfectly well-balanced reduction. It’s got most of Anderson's signature flavor notes but in healthy, clarified stock". David Ehrlich of IndieWire called it "the most visually inventive film that Anderson has made thus far" and added: "Its presentation is something we’ve never really seen before, either from Anderson or anyone else, but its ethos couldn’t be more familiar to anyone who’s followed his work".

References

External links
 

2023 films
Films shot in London
American adventure comedy films
Films directed by Wes Anderson
Upcoming Netflix original films
Films based on short fiction
Films based on works by Roald Dahl