Oscar-nominated actor Timothee Chalamet is set to play the role of young Willy Wonka in the upcoming Warner Bros. movie. As reported by The Variety, it will be a musical film titled Wonka, based on the early life of Willy Wonka.
Based on characters created by Roald Dahl, the story will focus on a young Willy Wonka and his adventures prior to opening the world’s most famous chocolate factory. According to Deadline, Wonka will mark the first time Chalamet gets to show off his singing and dancing skills with several musical numbers set to appear in the film. He’s been the top choice for some time but scheduling was a hurdle that had to be overcome as training for those numbers is included in the prep for this film.
Paul King, known for Paddington and its sequel, is directing Wonka. David Heyman, a driving force behind the Harry Potter franchise and the beloved Paddington movies, will produce the film and the script is being written by Simon Rich. The production is expected to begin in September, with the movie scheduled to debut theatrically on March 17, 2023.
This marks the third time Warner Bros. has taken on the Wonka story, with the previous versions being adaptations of Dahl’s classic novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The first one, in 1971, starred Gene Wilder as Wonka, and the second in 2005 starred Johnny Depp in the role. While plot details are unknown, the new pic will be an origin tale of the character and mark the first time Charlie Bucket will not be featured in the film.
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Coming to the other work front, Chalamet has several movies coming out this year, including Denis Villeneuve’s Dune adaptation, the Wes Anderson comedic drama The French Dispatch and Adam McKay’s star-studded disaster movie Don’t Look Up. He’s also set to portray Bob Dylan in the Searchlight biopic Going Electric.
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