Many people are skeptical about reboots and remakes, andWonkastarTimothée Chalametis no exception. In a recent conversation withGamesRadar+, Chalamet revealed he was hesitant aboutWonka, the musical prequel toCharlie and the Chocolate Factory,and considered that it may just be a “cynical money grab.” Obviously, something changed his mind, as he stars as the titular character inWonka, which will be out in theaters just in time for the holidays.
“Like many people, when there are remakes, I feel very protective over the original character and versions you love. Your eyebrows go up with skepticism about [whether] this is a legitimate, worthwhile story or a cynical money grab. But I was reading the first three pages of the script, and the song ‘Hat Full of Dreams’ was in there.”
Thankfully, it did not too long for the actor to change his mind. Chalamet found the lyrics for “Hat Full of Dreams” so clever that they immediately eased his initial worries.
“And there was no music to accompany it, but the lyrics were so clever. [It’s] about this young Willy, who was definitively not the crazy, cynical, kind of jaded, brain-fried version that we see in the two prior films but was very hopeful, young, ambitious, won’t-take-no-for-an-answer, maybe a little naive. I think that’s very clever.”
Related:Timothée Chalamet Reveals His Favorite Role in The Graham Norton Show
What We Can Expect from Timothée Chalamet’s Willy Wonka
Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) gains friends and powerful enemies while trying to achieve his chocolatier dreams.
Chalamet’s anticipated portrayal of the quirky chocolatier will be the third in movie history; originated by author Roald Dahl for his 1964 children’s novelCharlie and the Chocolate Factory,Willy was cemented into pop culture historywith Gene Wilder’s performance in Mel Stuart’s 1971 movieWilly Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; decades later, Johnny Depp tackled the character for Tim Burton’s 2005 filmCharlie and the Chocolate Factory. Wilder and Depp’s performances are different (and whose is better is a topic up for debate); while Wilder’s Willy leans more towards the magical, Depp’s version plays on the darker side of the character — something that is to be expected in a Burton film.
AlthoughWonkahits theaters in the U.K. on Dec. 8 and then on Dec. 15 in the US, early reviews are already praising Chalamet’s version of the iconic chocolatier; ourreview declaresWonkaas Chalamet’s best performanceand calls the film “an absolute joy to behold from Chalamet’s opening song.”
That Chalamet is an ideal fit for the character should come as no surprise to director Paul King, who offered the role to Chalamet without an audition, as he had complete faith in theDuneactor’s dancing and singing abilities (after watchinghis high school performances on YouTube).
“I love musical theatre and I love song and dance,” Chalamet told GamesRadar+. “And I love old Fred Astaire movies and the original ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ with Gene Wilder. I didn’t think I’d get a chance to do it, not like this. But Paul King is one of these directors that you don’t say no to.”
Alongside Chalamet,Wonkastars Olivia Colman (The Crown), Rowan Atkinson (Love, Actually), Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water), Keegan Michael Key (Key & Peele), Mathew Baynton (Ghosts), Jim Carter (Downton Abbey), Rich Fulcher (Marriage Story), Paterson Joseph (The Beach), Calah Lane (The Day Shall Come), Colin O’Brien (The Mothership), Natasha Rothwell (White Lotus), Rakhee Thakrar (Sex Education), and Ellie White (The Other One). Check out the trailer forWonkabelow:
