Timothée Chalamet calls ‘Wonka’ a “dream come true”
Anticipation is rising for Timothée Chalamet to star in the role of Willy Wonka in Paul King’s upcoming musical fantasy Wonka, a prequel to Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Chalamet recently appeared at the Warner Bros’ CineEurope show in Barcelona to discuss his upcoming films, including Wonka and Dune: Part Two, the latter of which he will star alongside Zendaya for Denis Villeneuve once again.
He said of the former movie, “It was a dream come true. I grew up on the Gene Wilder movie,” making reference to the beloved 1971 Mel Stuart movie. “It’s really how Willy became Wonka,” he added.
Producer David Heyman also spoke of the movie, adding, “There is not an ounce of cynicism.” During the presentation, audiences were also treated to an exclusive scene starring Hugh Grant as an Oompa-Loompa.
Chalamet had previously stated that he was drawn to playing Wonka because he wanted to make a positive, more optimistic movie for a younger audience.
“To work on something that will have an uncynical young audience, that was just a big joy,” he told Vogue. “That’s why I was drawn to it. In a time and climate of intense political rhetoric.”
“When there’s so much bad news all the time,” he added, “this is hopefully going to be a piece of chocolate. This is a Willy that’s full of joy and hope and desire to become the greatest chocolatier.”
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