Did you ever wonder what Willy Wonka, revered children’s author Roald Dahl’s eccentric chocolatier, did before the events of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Us neither, but somebody thought it was a tale worth telling. And cinematic gold has been spun from thinner straw than this before. Starring Timothée Chalamet, Wonka opens in New Zealand cinemas on December 15.
This one comes to us from director Paul King, who gave us the universally beloved Paddington flicks. So that’s a good sign. Taking obvious cues from Gene Wilder’s iconic performance (and wisely ignoring Johnny Depp’s turn) Chalamet plays Wonka as a young man desperate to bring his candy innovations to a world desperate for sweet treats, only to run afoul of a cabal of established chocolate makers.
Or, as the official synopsis words it:
“Based on the extraordinary character at the centre of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s most iconic children’s book and one of the best-selling children’s books of all time, Wonka tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today. Starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role, this irresistibly vivid and inventive big-screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time—proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.”
With a supporting cast that includes Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Tom Davis, Olivia Colman, and none other than Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa, Wonka certainly has a lot of talent up on the screen, and King has reliably demonstrated a talent for cinematic whimsy. We’re gonna go out on a limb and say this one looks…pretty sweet.
