Timothée Chalamet to Star in Willy Wonka Origin Story

The 1971 take on the Roald Dahl classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (or Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, if you prefer) is one of my most beloved movies of all time. In fact, it was one of the first movies I ever saw as a kid. Gene Wilder’s subdued, yet unmistakably eccentric performance has stuck with me for my entire life, and while the 2005 remake with Johnny Depp isn’t quite as good in my opinion, it’s certainly no slouch in the imagination department either. But for as much Wonka as these films have had, they’ve primarily focused on the tale of young Charlie Bucket. How did Wonka become the eccentric chocolatier we know and love? Well, I guess we’re gonna find out.

According to a report from Deadline, Warner Bros. is producing another picture based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, though this time, it’ll be an origin story of Willy Wonka himself, with the character of Charlie Bucket excluded entirely. Who will they be getting to play the coveted role? None other than triple-threat singer, dancer, and actor Timothée Chalamet. Apparently, Warner Bros. has wanted Chalamet for the role for a long time, as the film is supposed to have multiple musical numbers, but they weren’t able to get the schedules to line up until just recently.

Timothée Chalamet has been cast as young Willy Wonka in ‘WONKA’.

(Source: Deadline) pic.twitter.com/CgJcbDKrGg

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) May 24, 2021

As for the rest of the production, the screenplay was written by Paul King and Simon Farnaby, with King serving as director. David Heyman and Luke Kelly will be producing, while Michael Siegel and Alexandra Derbyshire will be the executive producers.

If you’re curious about whether or not this new film will crib any elements of Wonka’s origin presented in the 2005 film, well, join the club, but I imagine they’ll be going with something a little more in-depth. Maybe we’ll finally get a broader view of Loompaland.