Tom Holland and Timothée Chalamet are said to be in consideration to play a young version of Willy Wonka in an upcoming origin story.
Back in 1964, author Roald Dahl changed the lives of children all around the world with the release of his book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The eccentric story of a chocolate connoisseur running a top-secret chocolate factory somehow made its way into the hearts of people everywhere, and a short seven years later the late Gene Wilder starred as Willy Wonka himself, in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
Fast forward to 2005 and we get Tim Burton’s very dark version of Willy Wonka’s story starring Johnny Depp. This one gave us more insight into Willy Wonka’s life before he decided to invite children to his chocolate factory, with Burton casting his father as a dentist who forbade him from eating candy. Because of this, Willy Wonka grew up obsessed with the idea of candy and chocolate.
And now, Willy Wonka is coming back once again for a prequel movie, according to TheWrap. It’s set for a March 2023 release and will be helmed by Paddington director Paul King.
And if all goes well, there’s a chance Warner Bros. could turn this into a franchise, with characters like Charlie Bucket or Verruca Salt appearing in later installments! At the end of the original story, Willy Wonka hands the reigns of the chocolate factory over to Charlie; maybe we could catch up with him and see how that’s going.
As for who will play the famous candy man, sources at Collider say there are two potentials on the studio’s shortlist: Tom Holland and Timothée Chalamet. Personally, I think Chalamet would be the perfect guy to play the young crazy confectioner. He has just that right amount of quirkiness and awkwardness to pull it off, no offense to Holland, who is a great runner-up/alternative.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime, and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels
h/t The A.V. Club
