1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is considered a classic to this day and when Tim Burton decided to remake it in 2005, fans were interested to see what the eccentric director can do with the beloved Roald Dahl novel. Anticipation grew even more when it was revealed that the main character—the slightly mad factory owner, Willy Wonka, would be played by Burton’s Frequent collaborator Johnny Depp.
The end result, however, did not reach the height of the first adaptation. Now, imagine what it could have been if the main part was played by Dwayne Johnson. In his Instagram account, The Rock revealed that he was considered for the part and was very enthusiastic about it.
As of 2005, Johnson was nowhere close to being the household name he is today and it is frankly hard to imagine the big muscular man playing such a quirky character back then—as he himself admits. “I was just starting out in Hollywood with no foundation of global box office strength or any real acting experience to even pull it off,” he wrote in his post.
Nevertheless, Johnson wrote he was happy to be considered. “I’ll always raise a glass to the dreams that don’t come true,” he wrote.
