The Paul King-directed prequel also stars Hugh Grant and Sally Hawkins.
The Big Picture
- Timothée Chalamet shines as a young and imaginative Willy Wonka in the upcoming musical adaptation exploring the origin story of the iconic chocolate maker.
- Director Paul King, known for his success with the Paddington movies, brings his expertise to create a visually stunning world that resembles the 1971 film which starred Gene Wilder.
- With a delightful supporting cast including Sally Hawkins as Wonka’s mother and Hugh Grant as an Oompa-Loompa, audiences can expect a fresh take on the beloved character when Wonka hits theaters on December 15.
Wonka is an upcoming adaptation set to explore the origin story of the popular chocolate maker from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The photos, shared by Total Film Magazine, show Timothée Chalamet as the iconic character, who will be portrayed as a young man who plans to change the world with his talent for finding just the right amount of candy his customers need. As a musical, the movie will rely on original songs to tell Wonka’s story, years before he was ready to meet Charlie and the group of children who win golden tickets to visit his factory.
Paul King, who directed the movie, can be seen in the new images working closely with Chalamet on the set of the project. The filmmaker was hired by Warner Bros. after the success he found while working on the Paddington movies. The images also showcase the colorful outfits the actor will be seen in as Wonka, slowly becomes the character viewers know from other stories, with his iconic hat and coat already a part of his wardrobe. The world is about to be change by a young man with a big heart and a head full of imagination.
While the iteration of Willy Wonka played by Johnny Depp became extremely popular when his film was released, Wonka will serve as a prequel to the 1971 movie instead, with its production design attempting to resemble that world more than any other version of the character that has been worked on. After a couple of delays due to its own development process and the pandemic, Wonka is ready to fill the big screen with music, color and the origin story of one of the most relevant protagonists in movie history. There’s no telling what’s going to happen when Willy Wonka returns to cinemas.
‘Wonka’s Delightful Supporting Cast
Since Willy Wonka’s journey has to be accompanied by characters as interesting as the protagonist himself, the filmmaker and the studio worked together to find a supporting cast that could fit into the story seamlessly. After getting to work with King during the production of Paddington, Sally Hawkins will portray Wonka’s mother in the upcoming movie, while Hugh Grant is set to play an Oompa-Loompa. By the end of the year, audiences will already be familiar with the new version of the most famous chocolate maker in the world.
You can check out the new images from Wonka below, before the movie premieres in theaters on December 15
