Warner Bros. is returning to a world of pure imagination, moving forward with plans for a prequel to “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, recently titled “Wonka”.
The project has been in development for years, but recently started to gain momentum again. The studio hopes to start scaling the film soon, with the goal of releasing it in theaters on March 17, 2023.
David Heyman, whose curriculum includes the “Harry Potter” and “Paddington” franchise, is producing the film, based on a script by Simon Rich. Both have been linked to the film since 2016. Rich has already worked as a screenwriter on “Saturday Night Live” and wrote Seth Rogen’s latest photo, “An American Pickle”, which was based on the New Yorker Rich story entitled “Sell Out.” Paul King, who directed “Paddington” and its sequel, will command the reboot.
Based on Roald Dahl’s popular children’s book, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” the story follows a poor boy named Charlie, who is one of five young people to win a golden ticket to visit the world-famous, but highly secret, chocolate factory. chocolate administered by Willy Wonka. Gene Wilder played the character in a memorable way in 1971’s “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”. Johnny Depp later played the famous chocolatier in Tim Burton’s 2005 reboot “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. Depp’s version of the mischievous character was slightly darker and portrayed Wonka as an eccentric inmate with a particular aversion to children and, by extension, family ties. Burton’s version was a commercial success, raising $ 475 million worldwide.
The details of the “Wonka” plot have been kept confidential, although the future adaptation focuses on Willy Wonka’s early days before operating his elaborate confectionery house. In Burton’s version, Wonka’s father was a dentist who detested sugary treats of any kind, although it is unclear whether this is a canon. It is also uncertain whether any other familiar characters, such as worker Oompa Loompas, who will later keep his factory full of sweets running, will make an appearance in the film.
There is a healthy amount of content currently in work that focuses on the curious and eccentric firefighter. Netflix has two animated series in development based on the candy-coated world popularized by Wonka. Taika Waititi, who directed “Thor: Ragnarok”, “Jojo Rabbit” and the next “Thor: Love and Thunder”, is writing, directing and executive producing for both Netflix projects.