For nearly five years, Warner Bros. has been developing a new Willy Wonka movie that will explore the character’s earlier days, before he became the King of Candy, and today, the studio announced it will releaseWonkaon July 16, 2025.
Back in 2018,Collider reported thatRyan Gosling,Donald GloverandEzra Millerwere being eyed to star, but those names have all fallen by the wayside since then. Lately, sources say that Warners has its eye on eitherTom HollandorTimothée Chalametto play the eccentric confectioner.
Holland is currently 24 years old, while Chalamet just turned 25, and not only will they be competing for roles for years to come, but they are two of Hollywood’s most recognizable and talented leading men under 30. While it’s unclear whether Holland or Chalamet are actively pursuing this part, it’s easy to see Chalamet as a younger version ofJohnny Depp’s take on Wonka, whereas Holland is more of a song-and-dance man in the vein of a youngGene Wilder. To be clear, neither has been offered the role of Wonka – but let’s be honest, there are only so many young actors Warner Bros. would agree to finance this film with, as I’d imagine they want it to spark a franchise.
Paul King(Paddington) will direct from a script bySimon Rich(An American Pickle), who will draw inspiration fromRoald Dahl’s classic children’s novelCharlie and the Chocolate Factory.Wonkawill be produced byDavid Heyman, who also produced theHarry Pottermovies for Warners in addition toPaddingtonand its equally beloved sequel.Varietyreports that the studio plans to start production within the next four months.
While I’m not privy to the inner-workings of Holland or Chalamet’s schedules, neither appear to have any projects that are due to begin shooting this summer.Chalamet is attached to playBob DylaninJames Mangold’sGoing Electric, but Mangold iscurrently focused on the fifthIndiana Jonesmovieslated for July 2022. Holland is currently filming athirdSpider-Manmovie, but he has no other imminent projects on his IMDb page.
Plot details forWonkaare being kept under wraps, and since it’s an origin story of sorts, it remains unclear whether the Oompa Loompas will make an appearance. However, given King’s experience with the computer-generated character of Paddington, it’s possible that the Oompa Loompas could be CG as well. you may safely expect the chocolatier’s hard-working helpers to pop up in at least one of thetwo animated series that Netflix is developing withTaika Waititi, who would make an excellent Wonka himself, if you ask me.Too bad he’s a little busyright now…
