Netflix is adapting the works of beloved author Roald Dahl for an animated series.

Known for his colourful fantasy tales and Quentin Blake's idiosyncratic illustrations, the writer's back catalogue is hot property indeed – with Tales of the Unexpected set for a reboot and Oscar-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis working on an adaptation of The Witches.

“Netflix will adapt the Roald Dahl universe of stories as a new slate of animated event series. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, and The BFG are just a few of the titles from the author's beloved and award-winning library that will be reimagined for a new generation."

Several of Dahl's stories have been adapted for the screen over the years, with Gene Wilder's 1971 classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the Danny DeVito-directed Matilda touching the hearts of adults and children alike.

Felicity Dahl (the widow of Roald) shared her thoughts on this exciting collaboration with Netflix: "Our mission, which is purposefully lofty, is for as many children as possible around the world to experience the unique magic and positive message of Roald Dahl's stories.

"This partnership with Netflix marks a significant move toward making that possible and is an incredibly exciting new chapter for the Roald Dahl Story Company. Roald would, I know, be thrilled."

Titles such as The Twits, The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me, Esio Trot, George's Marvellous Medicine, The BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and The Enormous Crocodile are all set to be adapted by the streaming platform.

“Immersing ourselves in the extraordinary worlds of Roald Dahl stories has been an honour and a massive amount of fun, and we are grateful for the trust the Roald Dahl Story Company and the Dahl family have placed in our team to deliver more moments of shared joy to families around the world," said Melissa Cobb, vice president of kids and family content at Netflix.

"We have great creative ambition to reimagine the journeys of so many treasured Dahl characters in fresh, contemporary ways with the highest quality animation and production values."

Production on Netflix's Roald Dahl animated series is set to commence next year sometime.