Wonka, the prequel about the man behind the confectionary myth, has released its first trailer starring Timothée Chalamet. The wait is over. The renowned chocolatier is here.
Paul King, the visionary behind the children’s favorite Paddington franchise, is on a mission. He has been determined to do justice to the character behind the factory–who was Willy Wonka? More importantly, when King started discussing his intentions to fold a prequel out of sugar, milk chocolate, and whatever movie magic morsel you can imagine, he wanted it to be “a companion piece” to the original 1971 film.
At the London trailer release, King assuredly claimed this prequel would “answer all the questions you never had” about Wonka.
Amid the make-believe foundation of Willy Wonka’s world will be a seven-year journey of toffee, pralines, truffles, and chocolatier fantasy. Chalamet brings a much-needed innocence to Wonka that was devoid of connection in the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp version.
Chalamet, 27, is confident in the Wonka flair. He has the dusty brown top hat and that velvet purple coat flailing with every motion. He comes to us on a ship, sets up shop, and changes the face of chocolate forever.
And although the trailer didn’t feature any songs, King has promised performances will include original songs by Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy and refreshing twists on the classics, such as “Pure Imagination.”
Who is Willy Wonka?
When eclectic and whimsical author Roald Dahl published Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 1964, the world paid attention. The story captivated children and parents alike. They met a young boy named Charlie Bucket and an eccentric candy inventor named Willy Wonka. These two were destined to meet in what felt like a dream–one they were both having, only at opposite ends of imagination.
All thanks to a Golden Ticket.
A decade later, Dahl wrote a sequel, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. While that book captivated fans worldwide, it was a year before when Wonka became real through Gene Wilder‘s mesmerizing and memorable depiction in the 1971 classic Willa Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
King, who is screenwriter and director of the prequel, is in awe of his subject material. That kind of palpable respect for the author will only prove to make a delightful script.
“As a writer, obviously, I don’t remotely think of myself in the same breath as Roald Dahl,” he said, “but it was very nice to be so inspired by that.”
It’s been a long wait since we got lost in a “world of pure imagination.” Yet, this trailer seems to pick up right where Wilder took off. Despite the ballyhoo over Chalamet treating Wonka fans, the teaser and the trailer have insurmountably silenced the sweet-toothed pundits.
And, much to the surprise of that same gaggle of confectionary critics, there is a generous helping of dancing and singing in this version too.
“What’s so fabulous about [Chalamet] is you feel a lot of people his age would have been tempted to put on a superhero outfit and then sort of go and save the world,” King added. “And I managed to get him to put on a pair of heeled leather boots and do some tap dancing.”
Wonka’s cast includes Keegan-Michael Key, Rowan Atkinson, Sally Hawkins, Olivia Colman, Paterson Joseph, Mathew Baynton and Matt Lucas. Warner Bros’. North American release is Dec. 15.
Since he saw ‘Dune’ in the $1 movie theater as a kid, this guy has been a lover of geek culture. It wasn’t until he became a professional copywriter, ghostwriter, and speechwriter that he began to write about it (a lot).
From the gravitas of the Sith, the genius of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, or the gluttony of today’s comic fan, SPW digs intelligent debate about entertainment. He’s also addicted to listicles, storytelling, useless trivia, and the Oxford comma. And, he prefers his puns intended.
