Timothee Chalamet Becomes Willy Wonka in First Prequel Trailer

The Willy Wonka of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (to say nothing about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) is a man of mystery. He lives alone in his factory with his Oompa Loompas. He never leaves, and hasn’t been seen in years until Charlie and the rest of the kids find their Golden Tickets for their special factory tour. Especially in the first Willy Wonka film, where Wonka was played by Gene Wilder, we learn very little about Wonka’s early life and career. The remake starring Johnny Depp did give the character a bit of a tragic backstory (his father was a dentist!!) but only in a few flashback scenes.

The new film Wonka is, at last, a full-blown Willy Wonka origin story. The young version of the famous candy maker is played this time by Timothée Chalamet, who certainly strikes a dashing and more conventionally handsome Wonka than Wilder or Depp did.

If there is a reason to see Wonka, it might be that the film is co-written and directed by Paul King, the very talented director of the Paddington movies. You might not care about Willy Wonka’s origin. But a Wonka movie of any kind from Paul King? That’s kind of interesting.

You can watch the trailer for the film below:

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Yep, that’s Hugh Grant as the Oompa Loompa at the end there. Wouldn’t you have loved to sit in on the casting sessions for that?

Here is the film’s official synopsis:

Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s most iconic children’s book and one of the best-selling children’s books of all time, “Wonka” tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.

Wonka is scheduled to open in theaters on December 15.