Following in the footsteps of Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp, Timothée Chalamet is set to star as Willy Wonka in an upcoming film by Warner Bros.
The Academy Award-nominated actor is expected to show off his singing and dancing skills on screen for the first time, with Deadline reporting that the film will feature several musical numbers.
This marks the third time Warner Bros. has adapted the Wonka story. However, unlike its predecessors, Wonka won’t be a straight adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic novel. Instead, it will explore the early years of the world-renowned chocolatier in a Joker-style origin story. As such, it will be the first adaptation not to feature the character of Charlie Bucket.
The project has been in development since 2016 and will be directed by Paddington’s Paul King. King also co-wrote the film’s screenplay with Simon Farnaby, based on a script by Simon Rich, Simon Stephenson, Jeff Nathanson and Steven Levenson. It will be produced by David Heyman—producer of the Harry Potter franchise—alongside Luke Kelly and Michael Siegel.
Both Ezra Miller and Donald Glover were previously rumoured to star in the titular role, before the casting of Chalamet was confirmed.
Wonka is one of a host of high-profile roles Timothée Chalamet currently has in the works, including Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic Dune, Luca Guadagnino’s Bones & All, Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch and Adam McKay’s star-studded disaster movie Don’t Look Up. He is also set to portray legendary musician, Bob Dylan, in the Searchlight biopic Going Electric.
Production of Wonka is expected to begin in September, with the movie scheduled to hit theatres in March 2023.
Words by Bec Oakes
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