Originally published October 20, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
Variety is reporting that Warner Bros. has secured the rights to Willy Wonka from the estate of Roald Dahl, and has tapped Harry Potter producer David Heyman to develop a new movie, which is being scripted by Simon Rich (The Secret Life of Pets).
According to the site, rather than an adaptation of Dahl’s two Wonka books Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, the movie will focus on the early adventures of the character, although it is not being called an origin tale.
Willy Wonka has previously appeared on the big screen on two occasions, with Gene Wilder portraying the character in 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Johnny Depp taking on the role in 2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
