“Come with me and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination.” Variety reports that Willy Wonka may be getting big-screen makeover. Warner Bros. and Gravity producer David Heyman, who currently is bringing the magical world of Harry Potter back to screens with the spin-off franchise Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, are teaming up for a new Wonka movie, one which may stoke a new franchise. The colorful confectioner, introduced in Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, has already had two big-screen adventures in the late Gene Wilder‘s immortal take on the character in 1971 classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as well as Johnny Depp’s iteration in Tim Burton’s 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
This new Wonka – Warner Bros. reportedly has acquired official rights for the character from the Roald Dahl Estate – on early reports, will not be origin tale of the character, but a standalone offshoot focusing on the candyman’s early adventures. As of now, it isn’t known who other than Wonka from the Dahl classic will appear in the film. Though, if the movie is a hit, chances are perhaps that Charlie and others may make appearances down in the road in future installments. Reportedly, talks have in the pipeline for sometime over at Warner Bros. for a new take on the character, though this would be an original concept as Dahl never delved too deeply into Wonka’s backstory in his books.
On the onset, we appear this development is still in its early stages. No screenwriter(s), potential directors or casting decisions have unfolded as of yet. On the latter front, the hunt will be on for any actor to challenge Wilder’s iconic imprint on the role. Curiously, another Dahl creation – The BFG – was recently adapted and release this past summer and failed to connect with audiences despite the pedigree of director Steven Spielberg and the marketing power of Disney.
We shall stay tuned the latest developments.
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