A year ago we couldn’t have said definitively whether Wonka would be a delightful musical extravaganza or a total disaster. Either outcome seemed plausible. After all, was anyone actually clamoring for yet another version of the mysterious, magical chocolatier from Roald Dahl’s beloved book series? And one played by Timothée Chalamet, no less? But now that the film’s opening is less than two weeks away and early reviews are in, the full picture is coming together on what to expect.
By way of backstory, the Wonka franchise languished in development hell for decades, with several filmmakers pursuing the rights to make a sequel to Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. It was Tim Burton who ultimately succeeded, not with a sequel but a reboot that restored the original title, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, and featured Johnny Depp as Wonka. While Burton’s 2005 film is more faithful to the book in some respects, it added a new background for Wonka, giving him an overbearing dentist father who forbade sweets as an explanation for his adult obsession with candy.
The new film is a prequel about a young Wonka who hasn’t yet reached the heights of success we saw in the other films. This Wonka combines his dream of being a magician with a love of candy making and aspires to open a chocolate shop in a European town known for fancy confections. We don’t know if any of the history developed by Burton and screenwriter John August concocted for the 2005 film will be kept or referenced, but this will be the first time the young entrepreneur phase of Wonka’s story has been told.
Who’s behind Wonka?
Remember all the hype over Paddington 2, with its near perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes (which it still has) and how some critics considered it better than Citizen Kane? Well this is the next film from the director behind both Paddington movies, Paul King. Besides those films, King has been involved with a handful of critically acclaimed British TV shows, including The Mighty Boosh and Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. So when it comes to comedy, spectacle, and heart-warming storytelling, he’s got a good track record.
King’s frequent collaborator Simon Farnaby, who co-wrote the script for Paddington 2, is on board as co-writer for Wonka. As a performer, Farnaby is part of the creative troupe known as Them There, who were responsible for Horrible Histories and the U.K.’s Ghosts, in which he played Julian (the British counterpart to the CBS show’s Trevor). Farnaby also has a brief appearance in Wonka in an undisclosed role.
The creative team also includes director of photography Chung-hoon Chung (Last Night in Soho, The Handmaiden, Oldboy); Oscar-nominated production designer Nathan Crowley (Dunkirk, The Greatest Showman, Tenet); editor Mark Everson (Paddington and Paddington 2); Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (Paddington, Paddington 2, Wonder Woman, The Dark Knight, Casino Royale); and composer Joby Talbot (the Sing films).
Who’s in Wonka?
The film’s headliner, Timothée Chalamet, needs no introduction at this stage of his career. He leads a large cast full of comic actors from both sides of the Atlantic, including Keegan-Michael Key, Matt Lucas, Rowan Atkinson, and Natasha Rothwell. Oscar-winning actress Oliva Colman plays a character by the name of Mrs. Scrubbit, while her fellow former That Mitchell And Webb Look cast member Paterson Joseph plays rival candy tycoon Arthur Slugworth. A few of Farnaby’s pals from Then There also show up, like Mathew Baynton as Ficklegruber, another member of the Chocolate Cartel who resents Wonka’s intrusion. Paddington’s Sally Hawkins is also on hand as Wonka’s supportive mother.
If you’re curious about what these actors look like in their roles, Warner Bros. has released a set of character posters depicting many of the characters in the film.
Perhaps the most bizarre bit of casting is Hugh Grant in the role of Lofty, the original Oompa Loompa. It makes more sense when you know the connection to Paddington 2, in which Grant gave a marvelously unhinged performance as washed-up master of disguise Phoenix Buchanan. Grant even performed in a musical number. That must have stuck with King when it came time to cast what might be considered the film’s most problematic character. But after the small taste of Grant’s performance on the Oompa Loompa song in the trailer, consider us invested.
Can Timothée Chalamet really sing and dance?
Have a little faith. Chalamet hasn’t had a chance to showcase his musical talents in his film roles so far, but he comes from a theater background. As a student at New York’s performing arts magnet school, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School (sometimes known as “the Fame school”), he appeared in several musicals, including Cabaret and Sweet Charity. Some of those performances can still be found on YouTube. After seeing the videos online, King cast Chalamet without an audition. It just confirms what we already suspected—he has major Theater Kid energy.
After working with him, King praised Chalamet effusively in an interview with Total Film. “[Chalamet]’s got a beautiful singing voice,” the director said. “The person it reminded me of was Bing Crosby. There’s quite a range, because it does go from a couple of bigger, showstopper-y sort of things to moments of real, pure emotion and he can do it all.”
What are the early reactions to Wonka?
Early reviews are largely enthusiastic for the new film. In her take for The A.V. Club, Courtney Howard called it “a winning confection, filled with perfect amounts of charm, whimsy and poignancy, powered by pure imagination and bright, nimble musical numbers.” Germain Lussier, of The A.V. Club’s sister site io9, said that Chalamet’s “infinitely charming” performance is “full of joy, wonder, and innocence.”
Even with this kind of momentum behind it, Wonka will still have an uphill battle to justify its existence to audiences, and to overcome memories of the previous films, especially Wilder’s iconic performance. Remember, it’s always a good idea to keep your expectations in check. Wait, strike that. Reverse it.