WILLY Wonka's 1971 film introduced him and his Chocolate Factory to millions of viewers.
Decades after Gene Wilder brought the character to life on the big screen, Timothée Chalamet took on the role in a new adaptation.
Who is in the Wonka cast?
Directed and co-written by Paul King, the Wonka cast includes:
- Timothée Chalamet
- Keegan-Michael Key
- Sally Hawkins
- Olivia Colman
- Hugh Grant
- Jim Carter
- Rowan Atkinson
- Mathew Baynton
- Tom Davis
- Simon Farnaby
- Rich Fulcher
- Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
- Paterson Joseph
- Calah Lane
- Matt Lucas
- Colin O'Brien
- Natasha Rothwell
- Rakhee Thakrar
- Ellie White
- Murray McArthur
- Tracy Ifeachor
Featuring the popular titular character, the musical is a prequel to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
The movie tells the origin story of the famed chocolatier and is based on Roald Dahl's 1964 novel of the same.
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Timothée Chalamet
In May 2021, Timothée was one of the first cast members announced for Wonka.
Regarding his role as the film's eponymous character, the Oscar nominee told the Hollywood Reporter: "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.
"[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."
He added: "I love musical theater and I love song and dance.
"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."
Olivia Colman
Taking on the part of Mrs. Scrubbit is Oscar-winner Olivia Colman.
"I just get to muck about and be silly and have a lovely time," she said to Collider.
"Someone went, 'What, are you singing?' And I went, 'Oh, s**t, I don’t think I’m singing anything.'
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"I had a panic and I double-checked, and luckily, I’m not. I’m not required to sing, thank God."
Keegan-Michael Key
Starring as the adversarial Chief of Police is Keegan-Michael Key, who acts as a foil to Timothée's Wonka.
"What surprised me the most about working on the film, I would say, was probably the sense of play," Key shared of his experience filming the musical.
He explained to the BC Heights: "At times when you have a director who’s written a script, that director might take a lot of ownership in regard to the writing.
"And Paul King was very collaborative and was really willing to hear what you had to say when you came in with ideas."
Where can I watch Wonka?
On December 15, 2023, Wonka is scheduled to be released exclusively in theaters.
"There was an element of freedom there because I felt like I could go in any direction," Timothée expressed to the abovementioned outlet.
"It’s a brand new challenge...I felt like it was more important to try to do my own thing with it.
"I was helped by the fact that this new story is not the story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It’s an original story.
"So, I definitely watched that a lot before, the Gene Wilder version.
"But once it started to get going, I tried to leave it behind because it’s sort of an impossible performance and film to live up to and [it’s] so beloved, rightfully."
