Tim Burton's Charlie & the Chocolate Factory was undoubtedly a childhood classic. Now, nearly two decades after it was released, out comes the prequel story of the titular chocolate factory inventor, Willy Wonka. Here is everything we know about the Wonka movie's release date, cast, plot story, trailers, and more!
Played by Dune and Little Women star Timothée Chalamet, we explore the workings behind the mind of the chocoholic's dream of building his very own Wonka chocolate bars.
Wonka Movie Release Date: When is the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Prequel Coming Out?
The Wonka movie was supposed to land on a March theatrical release in mind. Warner Bros. has been working on the film since late 2016 when the studio gained rights to the character.
Unfortunately, due to production delays and the SAG-AFTRA strike, the Wonka movie was moved to release just in time for the holidays, specifically, on December 15, 2023!
Wonka Movie Cast List: Who Else Is Starring in the Prequel?
Back in May, Timothée Chalamet described his Wonka character on Vogue as a 'big joy' to work with:
"To work on something that will have an uncynical young audience, that was just a big joy. That's why I was drawn to it. In a time and climate of intense political rhetoric, when there's so much bad news all the time, this is hopefully going to be a piece of chocolate."
Apart from Chalamet's titular younger version of the chocolatier genius, he'll be starring alongside Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa, whom Wonka claimed to have been tailing on him and had him trapped on his desk.
Wonka helmer Paul King revealed on Total Film Magazine why he had picked Grant to play the Oompa Loompa:
"I was enchanted by the idea of these impossibly tiny beings, far smaller even than the child-sized me. The voice and the attitude of the Oompa Loompa came from revisiting the books – long songs full of humour, sarcasm, superiority and scorn. So it was really just thinking about that character – someone who can be a real shit. And I went, ‘Ah, Hugh!’"
"Because he's the funniest, most sarcastic shit that I've ever met! We'd been there before with Paddington 2. I had to write him this awkward letter saying, 'You're good at playing washed-up, old hams.'"
The Wonka movie also stars Rowan Atkinson, aka the iconic Mr. Bean as the Priest named Father Julius, while Sally Hawkins plays the role of Willy's mother.
In the Johnny Depp movie, we only got to see the young Willy grow up with his old man with no motherly figure present to give his upbringing, so the Wonka movie is already teasing what makes this prequel story a different take on the Wonka chocolate factory's creator.
As for the rest of the castmates starring in the film:
- Paterson Joseph as Arthur Slugworth
- Matt Lucas as Prodnose
- Matthew Baynton as Fickelgruber
- Freya Parker as Miss Bon Bon
- Murray McArthur as Ship Captain
- Calah Lane as Noodle
- Olivia Colman as Mrs Scrubbit
- Keegan-Michael Key as the Chief of Police
- Jim Carter as Abacus Crunch
- Tom Davis as Bleacher
- Natasha Rothwell as Piper Benz
- Rich Fulcher as Larry Chucklesworth
- Rakhee Thakrar as Lottie Bell
- Ellie White as TBC
- Simon Farnaby as TBC
- Colin O'Brien as TBC
- Tracy Ifeachor as TBC
- Rufus Jones as TBC
- Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as TBC
- Jag Patel as TBC
Will We See Johnny Depp Make His Wonka Cameo?
Considering that the Wonka movie is centered around the younger Willy Wonka, if Johnny Depp does end up making his appearance as the 'older' version, it would make sense at some point in the story.
Then again, this would depend if the prequel would even keep the storyline of Wonka's childhood with his dentist father in the first place.
As of writing, no news has been distributed yet on Depp's statement if he would at least make a cameo to bring nostalgia to old fans of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie.
Who is the Creative Team Behind the Prequel Wonka Film?
Paddington 2's Simon Farnaby and Paul King wrote the screenplay for the prequel Wonka movie, which was based on King's story using Roald Dhal's classic characters in his children's book.
Alongside them are Michael Siegel, Cate Adams, Rosie Alison, and Tim Wellspring as executive producers.
Last Night in Soho's Chung-Hoon Chung is the director of photography, Tenet and Dunkirk's Nathan Crowley is the production designer, Paddington franchise's Mark Everson is the film editor, with another creative team from Paddington, Lindy Hemming, working as the costume designer for the prequel.
Since the Wonka movie is essentially a musical film, Joby Talbot, who also assisted in assisting with the music scoring for the Sing movies, is in charge of composing the songs, working beside The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon in writing original songs.
Wonka Movie Plotline: Is the Prequel Based on the Classic Roald Dhal Novel?
Chalamet's Wonka movie has been confirmed to be the prequel story of the genius chocolatier, but is it based on the original author, Roald Dhal's, classic book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?
Well, considering that the children's book focused on Charlie's perspective rather than Willy Wonka's upbringing, the WB film plans to introduce exactly that: who was Wonka before the chocolate bars ran amok across the globe?
As for the official synopsis of the Wonka movie:
Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dhal's most iconic children's book and one of the best-selling children's books of all time, Wonka tells the wondrous story of how the world's greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.
Starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role, this irresistibly vivid and inventive big screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time—proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.
Will the Wonka Movie Use the 2005 Backstory of the Chocolatier?
In Tim Burton's 2005 adaptation of the classic, Willy Wonka had a dentist for a father, who was also seemingly the only family and guardian he ever had.
Because of his occupation, he was extremely strict with Wonka when it came to taking care of his teeth and burning off the candies and chocolates he'd earn every Halloween.
However, once Wonka learned the magic sweetness behind the sugar his father always forbade him from consuming, came the stroke of genius of making his own factory built from what deprived him of his childhood.
What remains to be seen is whether the 2023 movie plans on scrapping or keeping this storyline, especially since, according to the official trailer, Wonka's dream was inspired by the encouragement of his mother in a particular flashback.
Is There a Trailer For the Wonka Movie?
The full official trailer for Timothée Chalamet's Wonka movie was released on July 12, 2023, in which we get to see the majority of the starring characters make their time on screen before December comes. You can check out Chalamet's preview as the titular young Willy Wonka below:
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