“Come with me and you’ll be, In a world of pure imagination” must have been the pitch to Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean), Olivia Colman (The Father), and Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water) because they’ve joined the cast of Paul King’s Timothée Chalamet headlined Charlie and the Chocolate Factory prequel, which has begun shooting in the UK this week.
Deadline report that the Paddington director has fired up his cameras and that his Wonka prequel now has a cast that includes Timothée Chalamet, Olivia Colman, Rowan Atkinson, Sally Hawkins, Jim Carter, Mathew Baynton, Tom Davis, Simon Farnaby, Rich Fulcher, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Paterson Joseph, Emmy and Peabody Award winner Keegan-Michael Key, Calah Lane, Matt Lucas, Colin O’Brien, Natasha Rothwell, Rakhee Thakrar and Ellie White.
With songs written by The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon, Wonka will reportedly focus on a young Willy Wonka and his adventures before opening the world’s most famous chocolate factory.
The Paul King-directed 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.
What do you think of this casting news? Is the thought of another adventure in Roald Dahl’s world a sweet or sour one? Let us know by heading to our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
