The first look at Wonka has been revealed, and while it’s not what fans were expecting, the movie can still be saved by its star, Timothée Chalamet. Prequels are gaining force in the entertainment industry, and while some are part of established universes and thus are somewhat justified, others seem to be unnecessary. Among the prequel stories currently in development is that of Wonka, a musical fantasy movie based on the characters created by Roald Dahl.
Directed by Paul King (Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka and in 2005 by Tim Burton and with Johnny Depp as the famous chocolatier. Wonka, then, will follow a young Willy Wonka (now played by Timothée Chalamet) on different adventures prior to opening the world’s most famous (and mysterious) chocolate factory. Also starring in Wonka are Keegan-Michael Key, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, and Olivia Colman. The project was announced back in 2018 and after some rumors on who would star as the famous but eccentric owner of the Wonka Chocolate Factory, Chalamet was confirmed as the lead actor in January 2021.
Wonka entered production in September 2021 and it didn’t take long for Warner Bros. to begin its marketing campaign. On October 10, 2021, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Of course, reactions to Chalamet’s Wonka look arrived fast, and most aren’t fully on board with it and the vibe of the movie (purely judging by the images shared by Chalamet), but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost when it comes to Wonka.
Willy Wonka has a very peculiar style: a top hat (described in the books as black), a tailcoat (plum-colored velvet), green tros, and pearly gray gloves. The previous adaptations have stayed somewhat loyal to Dahl’s description of Wonka’s appearance, but Chalamet’s version looks darker and more Victorian, even giving him a more Dickensian look (and thus a more dramatic one), far from the image the audience has of the always colorful and sometimes overly cheerful Willy Wonka. However, this doesn’t mean Wonka will be a bad movie, and it has a lot of things working in its favor, mostly its star. Call Me By Your Name) and he’s also a teen idol, so his image is a powerful one in the film industry.
In addition to that, Wonka has Paul King as director, the man who brought Paddington and Wonka’s story and quality from just two pics, so it definitely deserves the benefit of the doubt, especially as it has some strong elements like Timothée Chalamet and Paul King on board.
