Warner Bros. and HARRY POTTER Producer Are Prepping a New WILLY WONKA Movie

Looks like Hollywood is running low in the "pure imagination" department.

Variety reports that Warner Bros. has acquired the rights to the Willy Wonka intellectual property from the Roald Dahl estate, and they're teaming up with producer David Heyman (Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, Gravity) to make "a new movie centered around the eccentric character."

Sources reveal that the film will not be an origin tale, but a standalone movie focused on Wonka and his early adventures. It’s unknown who from the original book series, other than Wonka, will be involved in the project. If the reboot is a hit, it seems likely that characters like Charlie could be seen in future installments of a possible franchise.

Once I got over the blatant corporate aspect of this news and starting trying to think of this as a creative endeavor instead of one intended solely to cash in on a popular property, I realized the best part of this story: Simon Rich is writing the screenplay. He's the creator of the brilliant FXX series Man Seeking Woman, and I can actually see how his delightful sensibilities in that show could result in a fun new take on Willy Wonka that's leagues above Tim Burton's crapfest of an attempt with Johnny Depp from a few years ago.

Good luck finding someone to play Wonka, though, especially with Gene Wilder's death and his iconic performance in the original being so fresh in everyone's minds.