Call Me By Your Name star Timothée Chalamet is reportedly the favorite to star in a prequel movie centered on the earlier days of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory character Willy Wonka.
The movie, simply titled Wonka, has been in the works at Warner Bros. for the past five years. It is currently slated for release on March 17, 2023, with Paul King (Paddington) directing.
The production of Wonka is scheduled to kick off at some point in the next four months, and the studio has been looking to attach a young but familiar name to the project. According to Collider, their top pick at the moment is Chalamet, who established himself as one of Hollywood’s most talented young actors in recent years.
Chalamet is currently working on disaster comedy Don’t Look Up, but reportedly doesn’t have any new projects lined up after that and would be available for Wonka.
As Collider points out, Chalamet is not the only young actor that is mentioned in the conversation for the role. Tom Holland, who portrays Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Marvel Cinematic Universe, also received some consideration.
Warner Bros. did not share any major plot details for Wonka so far. We know that the script for the movie will “draw inspiration” from Roald Dahl’s 1964’s children’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, although it is unclear whether Willy Wonka’s origin story will be closely tied to the book.
