Warner Bros. has given the green-light to Wonka, an origin story centered around the titular chocolatiers’ early adventures. It will come out on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2023. Wonka is a prequel to Roald Dahl‘s 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. A popular movie based on the book came out in 1971, and Warner Bros. produced a Tim Burton remake in 2005. The studio has been planning a spin-off since they bought the rights to the Willy Wonka character back in 2016.
David Heyman, known for the Harry Potter franchise and the Paddington films, will produce the film. Paul King, the writer-director of both Paddington films, will helm the project. The script is by Simon Rich and Simon Farnaby. Rich produced and wrote the recent HBO Max comedy An American Pickle; Farnaby was King’s co-writer on Paddington 2.
In 2020, Netflix announced that Taika Watiti would create two animated series set in the Willy Wonka universe. That same year, Warner Bros. premiered another Roald Dahl adaptation, The Witches, on HBO Max. Not only that, but the studio has already announced its intention to create a series of films based on the works of classic children’s author Dr. Seuss. That makes it possible that they’re doing the same for Dahl.
Still, if their plan is to start a connected universe of Roald Dahl films, the studio needs to be careful. Remakes and reboots flop when fans of the originals feel the new versions fail to capture the same emotions. There are fans who love both film versions of Dahl’s story but still wouldn’t want to see a third. For Warner Bros., trying to expand the franchise too fast could be a costly mistake.
There’s also the challenge of who to pick to play Willy Wonka. In the 1971 film, actor Gene Wilder played Wonka. So, even today most people identify Wilder with the Wonka character. Johnny Depp played Wonka in the 2005 adaptation. Depp was praised for his unique performance, but Wilder himself reportedly hated it. Tom Holland and Timothée Chalamet are both reportedly being considered for the role.
Thankfully, the reboot recycles many of its key creatives from Paddington. That film also retold a classic novel, but it managed to do the story (and its iconic lead character) justice. The combined talents of its creative team may bring enough to the table to justify the existence of yet another Willy Wonka movie.
Warner Bros. will release Wonka in theaters on March 17, 2023.
Source: Variety
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