wonka header

Wonka’s Second Trailer Delivers a Lot of Hugh Grant’s Oompa Loompa

The director of Paddington and Paddington 2, two of the greatest movies of all time, is branching out into the world of Roald Dahl with the upcoming Wonka, a prequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that tells the origin story of the famous chocolate maker. We’d seen a brief trailer for the film already but a second one has now dropped and it is crammed full of chocolate wonder, Timothee Chalamet in a top hate, and Hugh Grant riffing as a tiny orange man with green hair.

Recommended Videos

No, seriously. The trailer, which you can watch below, goes hard on the Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa angle. There’s like two full scenes with him just sitting in there. Aside from Grant’s Oompa Loompa antics, the movie is a musical telling the story of how Wonka (Chalamet) got his start and the evil chocolate barons who tried to stop him. Clearly, this is a far cry from Gene Wilder’s classic take on the character in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as there doesn’t appear to be any nightmare-inducing boat rides down chocolate rivers, but the music and whimsy seem to be there at the very least.

Related: Netflix Releases First Look at Roald Dahl’s The Twits Adaptation

Joining Chalamet and Grant in the film are Calah Lane, Emmy and Peabody Award winner Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, and Oscar winner Olivia Colman.

Now, judging from the trailer you may be thinking this film is not for you or that it looks pretty damn cheesy. However, there’s not a person out there who didn’t think that about Paddington when it was first announced but writer/director Paul King delivered not one but two film classics that are to this day cherished not just as great children’s fare, but great movies in general. Given that, one can only expect he will bring the same charm, heart, and character to Wonka.

Wonka will be released in theaters on December 15.


The Escapist is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article X-Men ’97: Every Major Marvel Cameo In Season 1
Combined stills of Ronan the Accuser, Cyclops, and Doctor Doom in X-Men '97 Season 1
Read Article How Many X-Men Movies Are There?
Nightcrawler, Storm, Wolverine, Rogue, and Mystique in X2: X-Men United key art
Read Article Furiosa: Is Max Rockatansky in the Mad Max: Fury Road Prequel?
Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky in Mad Max: Fury Road
Related Content
Read Article X-Men ’97: Every Major Marvel Cameo In Season 1
Combined stills of Ronan the Accuser, Cyclops, and Doctor Doom in X-Men '97 Season 1
Read Article How Many X-Men Movies Are There?
Nightcrawler, Storm, Wolverine, Rogue, and Mystique in X2: X-Men United key art
Read Article Furiosa: Is Max Rockatansky in the Mad Max: Fury Road Prequel?
Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky in Mad Max: Fury Road
Author
Matthew Razak
Matthew Razak is a News Writer and film aficionado at Escapist. He has been writing for Escapist for nearly five years and has nearly 20 years of experience reviewing and talking about movies, TV shows, and video games for both print and online outlets. He has a degree in Film from Vassar College and a degree in gaming from growing up in the '80s and '90s. He runs the website Flixist.com and has written for The Washington Post, Destructoid, MTV, and more. He will gladly talk your ear off about horror, Marvel, Stallone, James Bond movies, Doctor Who, Zelda, and Star Trek.