Pictures courtesy of Curtis Brown and MCPIX
We’ve got some exciting behind-the-scenes glimpses at a brand-new Roald Dahl adaptation currently in production for Netflix! Titled (or codenamed) Zoltar, the upcoming series that we’ve been tracking for a while will adapt Dahl’s famously dark and twisty short story collection, Tales of the Unexpected.
As you may remember, Netflix officially acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company back in 2021, giving the streamer unprecedented access to the author’s entire catalog of characters and stories. Since then, we’ve mostly seen animated entries in the universe, including The Twits and the upcoming theatrical release, Charlie vs the Chocolate Factory, but we also saw Wes Anderson’s various shorts in 2023. If you want to see everything currently streaming and in the works from that massive acquisition, check out our full guide to every Roald Dahl adaptation on Netflix in 2026 & what’s coming next.
Now, let’s dive into what we’ve learned from these brand-new set photos that we have obtained exclusively following months of tracking the project up until production started today in Manchester, in the United Kingdom.
What the Set Photos Reveal
The new pictures give us a fantastic look at the production, which is currently filming in the UK. Most notably, the photos confirm two major cast members: Bridgerton and Derry Girls superstar Nicola Coughlan (who you may recall said she had a significantly smaller role in Bridgerton season 5; this is why!) and Then Barbara Met Alan star Arthur Hughes.
Coughlan is front and center in the new snaps, sporting a prominent baby bump and carrying a large floral duffel bag. Whatever scene they are filming looks quite chaotic—her character is seen having a rather intense encounter with a barking black German Shepherd police dog on the steps of a police station!
Meanwhile, Arthur Hughes is also spotted on location outside the police station wearing a slightly rumpled brown suit and tie, looking very much like a weary detective grabbing a quick coffee break between takes.
PIC BY MARK CAMPBELL/MCPIX
PIC BY MARK CAMPBELL/MCPIX
PIC BY MARK CAMPBELL/MCPIX
PIC BY MARK CAMPBELL/MCPIX
PIC BY MARK CAMPBELL/MCPIX
PIC BY MARK CAMPBELL/MCPIX
PIC BY MARK CAMPBELL/MCPIX
PIC BY MARK CAMPBELL/MCPIX
PIC BY MARK CAMPBELL/MCPIX
PIC BY MARK CAMPBELL/MCPIX
We also got a crystal-clear shot of the production clapperboard, which confirms a few key behind-the-scenes details. The board features the stylized working title Zoltar (complete with a graphic of fortune-teller hands over a crystal ball) and reveals that Runyararo Mapfumo (Sex Education, KAOS) is in the director’s chair for this block of filming. Furthermore, Frank Lamm (Andor, The Crown) is serving as the Director of Photography.
We understand that Orchid Pictures (The Boys From Brazil, Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials) is behind the production, with the production operating under Hocus Pocus Productions. The series is expected to be six episodes in length.
A Legacy of the Unexpected
If Tales of the Unexpected sounds familiar to you, there is a very good reason for that. This new Netflix project isn’t the first time Dahl’s spine-tingling short stories have made it to television. The property was previously adapted into a massively successful British television series by Anglia Television for the ITV network, running for an impressive nine series between 1979 and 1988. The classic show became a television staple, famous for its iconic, hypnotic opening title sequence (featuring dancing women in silhouette and a roulette wheel) and its delightfully macabre twist endings.
In the early seasons, Roald Dahl himself even appeared on screen, sitting by a roaring fire to introduce each episode! It remains to be seen if Netflix’s Zoltar will adopt an anthology format like the original ITV run or weave the stories into a serialized narrative.
Netflix has kept this heavily under wraps and declined to comment for our story, but with cameras rolling, we expect more official details very soon.
Are you excited to see Nicola Coughlan and Arthur Hughes in Zoltar? Let us know your favorite Roald Dahl story in the comments below, and keep it locked here on What’s on Netflix for more updates as we get them!
