Academy Award-nominated actor, Timothée Chalamet has been cast to play a young version of the title chocolate maker and inventor in Warner Bros.’ upcoming musical origin story, Wonka. The movie will be the first time the performer, who rose to fame in such dramas as Call Me by Your Name and Beautiful Boy, will show off his singing and dancing skills on screen.
Chalamet has been the top choice to lead the cast of Wonka for some time, but he wasn’t able to commit to the role until now, due to scheduling hurdles. But the Golden Globe-nominated actor is now available to train for the film’s planned musical sequences.
Warner Bros., which is set to release the movie on March 17, 2023, has teamed up with the Roald Dahl Story Co. to highlight Willy Wonka’s life before he opened and ran the world’s most famous chocolate factory. He decided to retire from making his beloved candy treats in the classical musical fantasy film, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, which will celebrate next month its debut in theaters 50 years ago.
Chalamet will be taking over the eponymous role from the late Gene Wilder, who starred in the original movie. Johnny Depp later took on the role of Willy Wonka in the 2005 remake, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. While exact details about the upcoming prequel’s plot have not yet been revealed, Wonka will mark the first time that Charlie Bucket will not be featured in a screen adaptation of Dahl’s 1964 novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Paul King is set to direct Wonka, after he co-wrote the screenplay with Simon Farnaby. The feature will be produced by David Heyman via his London-based studio, Heyday Films. The upcoming movie is reuniting the company with King, after it produced two other adaptations he scribed and helmed, the 2014 live action/animated family comedy, Paddington, and its 2017 sequel. Luke Kelly is also set to produce Wonka, while Michael Siegel and Alexandra Derbyshire have signed on to serve as executive producers.
Before Wonka‘s distribution, Chalamet will next appear in co-writer-director Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming epic sci-fi film adaptation, Dune, which Warner Bros. is set to release in theaters on October 1. The performer will also be seen in scribe-helmer Wes Anderson ensemble comedy-drama, The French Dispatch, which is expected to be released in July. The SAG Award-nominated actor also has a role in writer-director Adam McKay’s black comedy disaster movie, Don’t Look Up, which is scheduled to start streaming on Netflix sometime this year.