How will Timothée Chalamet make ‘Wonka’ a cinematic treat?
It’s true that you should never judge a book by its cover, but sometimes the temptation is a little too great. The arrival of the new Wonka trailer, a movie which reveals the colourful origins of Roald Dahl’s manic chocolatier, has sent the world of social media into a frenzy, with some people calling out the apparently stilted performance of Timothée Chalamet in the lead role, whilst Hugh Grant’s mini Oompa Loompa has already become a viral star.
But still, our first shavings of Warner Bros’ Wonka movie have given us some valuable insight into the tone that director Paul King is going for, also teasing the route that the story might follow. Best known for his work helming the recent Paddington movies, King knows how to enchant an audience and transport them into a world of saccharine joy where anything is possible.
Meanwhile, the script is headed up by Simon Farnaby of Horrible Histories fame, with the Inside Out writer Simon Rich and King also contributing. Neither a sequel to the original 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory nor Tim Burton’s 2005 reimagining, Wonka looks to be an origins story in its own right, appearing to be most like the Broadway adaptation of Dahl’s book from playwright David Greig.
So, come with us and let us take you to a world of pure imagination, where we lay out our hopes and dreams for King’s forthcoming Wonka escapade.
How to make ‘Wonka’ a cinematic treat:
Explore the inner demons of Willy Wonka
It’s easy to watch the original 1971 Willy Wonka movie and be enchanted by the film’s magic and fabulous eccentricities, but beneath the surface, the strange adaptation reveals a far darker side to the titular figure. Wonka isn’t the fun-loving Disney character that the trailer for the 2023 movie suggests; he’s a weird, troubled, probably psychologically damaged chocolatier, even though King’s new film is going for a more spritely adaptation, we hope that shades of Wonka’s dark past can come to light.
Strangely, this dark and surreal side to Wonka only came into existence following the release of the 1971 movie, with Roald Dahl’s original literary character being a fun-loving cartoon figure rather than a deeply troubled gentleman. Despite this, Tim Burton was also magnetised to the character’s dark side for his 2005 adaptation, with audiences being far more drawn to Wonka as a fragile gastronomic mastermind rather than as a thinly-drawn Disney character.
Clearly, Chalamet’s Wonka is far more ‘Broadway’ than Gene Wilder’s take from the original film or Johnny Depp’s from the remake, but we hope we see a hint of the character’s cynicism.
Let the supporting cast thrive
The movie might be called Wonka, but the casting assistants, Maxim Bennet and Deanna Greif, did a fantastic job of building a stellar ensemble, with the likes of Olivia Colman, Keegan-Michael Key, Hugh Grant, Sally Hawkins and Rowan Atkinson each starring beside Chalamet. Fans will want to see Wonka thrive as the frenetic chocolatier, but the movie can be really elevated if King allows the supporting cast space to breathe.
We’ve already seen just how popular Grant has been online, featuring as the jarred Oompa Loompa in the movie’s trailer, with the actor certainly having the capability to steal the entire show. Meanwhile, comedian Matt Lucas, Paterson Joseph of Peep Show fame and Mathew Baynton, who’s best recognised for his work on the BAFTA award-winning show Horrible Histories, appear to form something of a rival trio in the movie, with each actor being capable of comedic greatness.
Countless other actors join Chalamet in the supporting cast, including relative newcomer Calah Lane, who will take a pretty major role alongside the lead star, all we ask is that director Paul King lets all these performers gel together like any great-tasting chocolate bar should.
Please, don’t sing ‘Pure Imagination’
It’s clear that Paul King is going for a totally different vibe with his take on Willy Wonka, going down a more musical road rather than embracing the character’s dark intricacies, and this is absolutely fine, all we ask is that he sets the film as being different enough from the 1971 original. Depp’s version of the manic candy inventor didn’t sing ‘Pure Imagination’, Wilder’s most famous number, in fact, he didn’t sing any of the original songs, with Burton opting for an entirely new list of tracks.
We’d love it if King went down the same route, inserting several new songs into the movie, with a sprinkling of the old ones (if he truly must). In the contemporary cinematic landscape, audiences are beginning to see through the net of nostalgia that movie studios often cast over them, forcing films like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and The Little Mermaid to financially flop. Give us something new, and you’ll get critical and commercial praise.
