New 'Willy Wonka' Movie Set to Be a Prequel
There's a new Willy Wonka movie in the works. But, not to worry, it's not a remake or reboot of what we've seen before, but instead, an origin story.
We were introduced to Willy Wonka, the whimsical candy aficionado, in author Roald Dahl's 1964 novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The forthcoming film will focus on the chocolate factory owner's early life.
Paul King (Paddington) is in talks to direct, with producer David Heyman elaborating on what to expect.
Heyman talked to Collider recently (November 5), saying, "We are still trying to figure out how to tell that story, what the story is. It’s a prequel, it’s not a sequel."
"What makes Willy — when we find him at the chocolate factory doing the golden ticket, where is he before that? What leads him to that place where he’s locked himself away?… It’s how does he get there? So we’re playing around with that."
While Dahl did not write the prequel story, and understandably new content might ruffle some fan feathers, these are all questions worth pursuing. Willy Wonka is quite an enigma.
We first saw Willy Wonka on the big screen in 1971, with Gene Wilder in the title role:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cBja3AbahY
Johnny Depp put his spin on the character in 2005:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFVGCUIXJls
The prequel project is in the early stages, there's no set start date as of yet.
Is there room in your life for more Willy Wonka?