We have a new Willy Wonka, and you call him by his name: Timothée Chalamet. Deadline broke the story today that Chalamet will star in Warner Bros and the Roald Dahl Story Co.’s Wonka.
Wonka will reportedly “focus on a young Willy Wonka and his adventures before opening the world’s most famous chocolate factory.” Chalamet has long been rumored for the role and will likely don the iconic hat and cane of the iconic inventor and chocolate maker.
This upcoming Wonka film will also mark the first time audiences have seen Chalamet sing and dance in a feature film. Sources close to the Deadline report that “several musical numbers are set to appear in the film.”
The Paul King-directed Wonka prequel is the third adaptation of the iconic Roald Dahl story for Warner Bros. The studio famously made the first film in 1971 that starred Gene Wilder as the titular character. Then the studio brought it back with a Tim Burton-directed remake in 2005. Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory saw longtime friend Johnny Depp play the Wonka role in one of his most popular to date.
For Chalamet, he’ll step into a linage of popular actors that include comedy legend Wilder and pop culture icon Depp. The young actor has quite a busy year ahead of him, with three huge films in 2021. He’ll star in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, and Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up.
