Timothée Chalamet is set to play young Willy Wonka in a new origins movie titled Wonka.
The Origin Story
According to Deadline, the Oscar-nominated star of Call Me by Your Name will follow in the footsteps of Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp in an all-singing and all-dancing performance in a prequel inspired by Roald Dahl’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The film will focus on the early years of Wonka before he opened his factory. Paul King, director of Paddington, will be at the helm with a screenplay from comedian Simon Farnaby.
It will mark the third time Warner Brothers has brought the character to life, first in 1971 and then in 2005 with Tim Burton’s adaptation, which made $475m worldwide. The story was also turned into a successful musical.
Tom Holland, Ryan Gosling, Donald Glover, and Ezra Miller have also been considered for the future chocolate factory owner.
Plenty of Projects to Come
Last year it was announced that Taika Waititi, director of Thor: Ragnarok, would also be taking on two animated series for Netflix based on the world and characters of Dahl’s 1964 novel. The shows will “retain the quintessential spirit and tone of the original story while building out the world and characters far beyond the pages of the Dahl book for the very first time”.
Chalamet will be appearing at the Met Gala themed In America: A Lexicon of Fashion happening September 13 alongside Billie Eilish, Amanda Gorman, and Naomi Osaka.
The 25-year-old actor was last seen in Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women.
His upcoming films include Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, Denis Villeneuve’s take on Dune, marking his first major franchise role, and Adam McKay’s star-studded asteroid comedy Don’t Look Up alongside Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep and Ariana Grande.
Wonka is set to be released in 2023.
