It's been more than a decade since the release of Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and rumblings were going around that a prequel was in the works with Harry Potter's David Heyman. As it turns out, the movie is actually happening, and there are currently two actors at the top of the list to star.
According to Collider, Ryan Gosling (Blade Runner 2049) and Donald Glover (Solo: A Star Wars Story) are currently in the shortlist to star as Willy Wonka in the prequel. Heyman himself also talks about the movie a bit:
"We are still trying to figure out how to tell that story, what the story is. It's a prequel, it's not a sequel. What makes Willy—when we find him at the chocolate factory doing the golden ticket, where is he before that? What leads him to that place where he's locked himself away?… It's how does he get there? So we're playing around with that."
Though I think that the prequel concept is already a bit tired at this point, I think it wouldn't hurt to get get another look at Roald Dahl's fantastic chocolate factory onscreen again. Besides, if it gets people interested in the original source material, I don't think it would be that bad.
We don't know if it will be tied to the cult classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder, but I think if Gosling is cast, the producers will want to bank in on that nostalgia. Plus, I wouldn't mind an updated version of that factory.
If Glover was cast, however, I would be open to a full reboot. Plus it could build-up to the eventual Charlie and the Chocolate Factory which could be more appealing to producers. I only have one request though: Glover's Community co-star Danny Pudi has to play all of the Oompa Loompas. If that can't happen I would settle for a cameo.
No release date has been set for the Willy Wonka prequel.
See Also: Willy Wonka Reboot Finalizing Talks With Paddington 2 Director
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