At first, I was thinking that we probably don’t need yet another Wonka film just yet. However, it’s probably a good thing that we’ll have soon a modern remake that doesn’t star Johnny Depp.
In the wild world of remakes, it’s really no surprise that a classic like Willy Wonka is next on the list. Everyone knows that the original, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, based on the Roald Dahl book and originally starring the late Gene Wilder, is a classic and a tough act to follow whether you’re the second or tenth film.
While the news of the film dropped in 2016, we now know that director of the critically-acclaimed Paddington films, Paul King, is allegedly behind the wheel. The script has been written by Simon Rich, who has credits on Inside Out and The Secret Life of Pets. It seems that Warner Bros. is hoping for a brand new franchise out of this, including other works from Roald Dahl, an exciting proposition, so we’ll see how that goes.
There are also talks that it may not be a remake at all, but a prequel that follows Mr. Wonka on his adventures pre-Chocolate Factory. This leaves the doors wide open for any young Hollywood actor to come marching through to play this iconic character. While there’s nobody who could match up to Gene’s portrayal, we’re certainly wondering who’s on the shortlist.
There has been a lot of talk that Ryan Gosling already signed on to be the young Wonka, and honestly, he fits the bill perfectly. He has both the looks and the charisma for Gene Wilder’s version. Depp’s version took away the magical quality that we saw in the original film, and replaced it with Tim Burton’s sense of weirdness and humour. I’d be happy if the next Wonka was able to recapture the magic of the first film, so we can forget Depp was ever there to begin with. I also wouldn’t mind if the young Wonka was a Hollywood newcomer, because that seems to be the trend these days (see: Star Wars).
However, others out there are hoping to see a person of colour donning the purple suit for the first time. Considering this is one of a few remakes that could actually work, it might be nice to do something wild for a change.
Who do you think should play the next Wonka? And what do you think of the idea of a young Wonka film? Let us know below!