The New WONKA Movie Will Be a "Companion" to Gene Wilder's Classic Film and Roald Dahl’s Book

I really wish I was excited about the upcoming movie Wonka, which tells the origin story of Willy Wonka from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory book. I’ve seen footage from the film, though, and nothing I’ve seen has piqued my interest.

Timothée Chalamet plays Willy Wonka in the movie, and I’m still not sold on him in the role. The new film will focus on a young Willy Wonka and his adventures prior to opening the world’s most famous chocolate factory and it will be a musical.

Entertainment journalist Emily Zemler recently attended a launch event for the Wonka movie trailer, which director Paul King attended. While there he explained that he wanted to make a movie that could “sit alongside” the Roald Dahl book, and it was also described a “companion” to the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The thing is, Chalamet doesn’t really capture that insane energy that Gene Wilder had. I mean, who really can, though!?

In a previous interview, the actor explained why he wanted to play the character, and it was simply because he wanted to make a movie for a younger, more optimistic audience. He said:

“To work on something that will have an uncynical young audience, that was just a big joy. That’s why I was drawn to it. In a time and climate of intense political rhetoric, when there’s so much bad news all the time, this is hopefully going to be a piece of chocolate.”

When previously talking about his version of Wonka, the actor said: “This is a Willy that’s full of joy and hope and desire to become the greatest chocolatier.”

Neil Hannon of the band The Divine Comedy is writing original songs for the prequel, and King also co-wrote the screenplay with Paddington 2 co-writer Simon Farnaby.

The movie also stars Mathew Baynton (Ghosts), Olivia Colman (The Favourite), Tom Davis (Paddington 2), Simon Farnaby (the Paddington films), Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water), Rich Fulcher (Marriage Story), Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Paddington 2), Paterson Joseph (Noughts + Crosses), Keegan-Michael Key (Schmigadoon!), Calah Lane (The Day Shall Come), Matt Lucas (Paddington), Colin O’Brien (The Mothership), Natasha Rothwell (The White Lotus), Rakhee Thakrar (Sex Education), Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean), Jim Carter (Downton Abbey), and Ellie White (The Other One).

The movie opens in theaters on December 15th. Stay tuned for the first trailer.