Published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. James and the Giant Peach is a children's novel written in 1961 by British author Roald Dahl.

There have been re-illustrated versions of it over the years, done by Michael Simeon (for the first British edition), Emma Chichester Clark, Lane Smith and Quentin Blake.

[5] American novelist Bret Easton Ellis has cited James and the Giant Peach as his favourite children's book: It changed my life.

The idea that the world was meaner, crueller, more absurd and fantastical than anything that picture books had previously showed me made a real impact.

Unfortunately, when he is four years old, an oddly carnivorous raging rhinoceros escapes from the London Zoo and eats James' parents whilst they are on a shopping trip in the capital.

Instead of caring for him, they physically and verbally abuse him, isolate him in their ramshackle hilltop house and garden, dole out sadistic punishments for the smallest infractions, force him to sleep on bare floorboards in a prison cell-like room, and force him to do heavy chores most of the time that they never bother doing themselves (they also do not call him by his real name, but insults like "you disgusting little beast" or "you miserable creature").

Spiker and Sponge build a fence around it and earn money by selling viewing tickets to tourists; James is locked in the house, only able to see the peach and the crowds through the bars of his bedroom window.

[8] The decision was met with sharp criticism from groups and public figures including authors Salman Rushdie[9][10] and Christopher Paolini,[11] British prime minister Rishi Sunak,[9][10] Queen Camilla,[9][12] Kemi Badenoch,[13] PEN America,[9][10] and Brian Cox.

[17] It was directed by Henry Selick and produced by Denise Di Novi and Tim Burton, all of whom previously made The Nightmare Before Christmas.

In August 2016, Sam Mendes was in negotiations with Disney to direct another live action adaptation of the novel,[21] with Nick Hornby in talks for the script.

Waititi was joined by Oscar-winning actresses Meryl Streep, Lupita Nyong'o, and Cate Blanchett; actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Liam and Chris Hemsworth, Ryan Reynolds; the Duchess of Cornwall, and others in ten installments which were then published to the Roald Dahl YouTube channel.

[31] Waititi had already been working with the company as the writer, director, and executive producer for Netflix's upcoming serialised adaption of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.