Wonka is an upcoming fantasy musical movie based on classic books written by Roald Dahl. It will be a prequel to the original stories, closely following the character of a young Willy Wonka before he met Charlie Bucket or ever owned a chocolate factory.
Playing the role of Wonka is Timothée Chalamet, an accomplished actor who had most recently starred in the Dune remake. The Warner Bros film is directed by Paul King, who also directed the Paddington movies. King wrote the script for Wonka in collaboration with Simon Farnaby, perhaps most notable for his work on CBBC’s Horrible Histories; as well as writer Simon Rich.
A collection of original musical numbers have been written by Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy, also wrote the theme songs for Father Ted and the IT Crowd).
Johnny Depp’s Wonka, 2005 
Gene Wilder’s Wonka, 1971
Chalamet is the third actor to take on the role of Willy Wonka: previous films had cast Gene Wilder in the 1971 version (directed by Mel Stuart), followed by Tim Burton’s version with Wonka played by Johnny Depp in 2005.
Additional cast for the movie has also been revealed, with many big name actors joining Chalamet. These include but are not limited to Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Colman, Matt Lucas, Sally Hawkins, Jim Carter and Rakhee Thakrar. Whilst we still don’t know who they’ll be cast as, there’s no doubt that more will be revealed in the time leading up to release.
Filming for the movie has already begun with one scene being observed in Lyme Regis, England. Members of the public watched as Chalamet was seen singing and dancing along The Cobb, a marina in the local area. There were reported hundreds on set filming, with old classic cars and even a redecorated, snowy ship included in the setting.
Wonka is set to release in cinemas on March 17th, 2023.
What do you think about the up and coming Wonka movie? And which did you prefer, the Wilder or Depp version? Let us know you think in the comments below, or on our social medias.
Leave a Reply