Why Roald Dahl is still too hot for Hollywood to cancel

As film fans await the releases of ‘Wonka’ and Wes Anderson’s ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’, Geoffrey Macnab reveals why moviemakers remain magnetised by the ultimate storyteller – despite his unsavoury views

Heartthrob Timothée Chalamet stars as arguably Dahl’s most famous character, Willy Wonka, in a new Warner Bros movie (Warner Bros)

A few weeks ago, Roald Dahl’s own museum condemned him on its website for “undeniable and indelible” racism and for his “antisemitic statements”. In February, his novels were tinkered with to remove their offensive language. If he was a character in one of his children’s stories, you can imagine how he might be portrayed: as a grumpy old curmudgeon with stinky breath, hair growing out of his nostrils, and enormous red bunions on his feet. Illustrator Quentin Blake would have a field day with him.

Often, when authors become tainted by scandal in the way Dahl has in recent months, they are instantly spurned. Their name drops out of the cultural conversation. With Dahl, though, the reverse has been happening. At the moment, Hollywood simply can’t get enough of the work of the author of The Witches, The BFG and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Some 33 years after he died aged 74 in 1990, the bestselling writer is more popular than ever with filmmakers.

The Venice Festival later this month has the world premiere of The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Wes Anderson’s new Netflix-backed short in which Ralph Fiennes stars as Dahl – and in which Benedict Cumberbatch plays Henry, a wealthy gambler with magical powers to see without using his eyes and to peer into the future.