Cameras are rolling on the Willy Wonka prequel production, as the final pieces of casting fall into place.
When the Willy Wonka prequel film was revealed at the very beginning of this year, the announcement didn’t seem to spark raptures of joy. Perhaps it was because the character had already received a backstory of sorts in Tim Burton’s 2005 Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. Equally, it could have been the (exciting) news that Paul King was directing meant he wouldn’t be making Paddington 3, potentially denying film fans that rarest of unicorns: a perfect film trilogy.
However, look at the ingredients for this film and it certainly has the potential to be magical. With Paul King directing and Timothée Chalamet starring as the eccentric chocolatier, we could be in for some fun.
The announcement that Olivia Colman, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson and Jim Carter are joining the production make it all the more exciting.
Colman was rumoured to be paying the film’s antagonist as far back as July. It sounds like good casting to us, especially if the Oscar-winning actor is going to give us a performance to match her role in The Favourite, for which she won her Academy Award (and more importantly, stole every scene she was in).
The story will reportedly be set in the mid-nineteenth century, in the heart of the industrial revolution, likely meaning the story will be located, at least partly, in England. The oompa loompas are set to feature as well, according to reports, with Wonka questing to win their aid.
Original reports stated that the film was set to go into production in early 2022, so things seem to be running ahead of schedule, which is surely a good sign. We’ll bring you more as we hear it.
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