Timothée Chalamet (L); Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka inCharlie and the Chocolate Factory(2005).Photo: Mike Marsland/WireImage; Peter Mountain/Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock
Timothée Chalametis the newest dreamer of dreams.
The 25-year-old actor has been tapped to play Willy Wonka in an upcoming origin-story film based onRoald Dahl’s 1964 children’s bookCharlie and the Chocolate Factory, according toDeadlineandVariety.
While no plot details are available yet, reps for Chalamet confirmed to bothVarietyand Deadline that he’ll be singing and dancing in the film, asGene Wilderdid in his whimsical turn as Wonka in 1971’s musical adaptation, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
Chalamet will be the third actor to portray Wonka on the silver screen after Wilder andJohnny Deppin 2005’sCharlie and the Chocolate Factory.
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Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka inWilly Wonka & the Chocolate Factory(1971).Courtesy Everett Collection
Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka inCharlie and the Chocolate Factory(2005).Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock
During an interview withColliderin 2018, Heyman, 59, confirmed that the upcoming project would be a prequel, set before the events of Dahl’s book and the two existing movie adaptions.
“We are still trying to figure out how to tell that story, what the story is,” he said at the time. “It’s a prequel, it’s not a sequel. What makes Willy — when we find him at the chocolate factory doing the golden ticket, where is he before that? What leads him to that place where he’s locked himself away? … It’s, ‘How does he get there?’ So we’re playing around with that.”
Colliderpreviously reported thatDonald GloverandRyan Goslinghad been rumored to be in contention for the role of the famous fictional chocolatier in the upcoming movie.
The Sunalso reported at the time that the casting team behind the film wasconsidering selecting a woman for the role of Wonka.
Timothée Chalamet.Frazer Harrison/Getty
RELATED VIDEO: Gene Wilder, Beloved Star ofWilly Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Dies at 83
The Oscar nominee appeared alongsideWinona Ryder, who starred with Depp in the 1990Tim Burtonclassic, in a commercial advertising the Cadillac LYRIQ that also served as a sequel of sorts toEdward Scissorhands.
“I loved the idea of getting to work with Timothée, who I’m such a fan of,” she added. “Timothée is really the perfect person to embody that character.”
source: people.com
