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.
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.
Published: Oct 12, 2023 02:39 pm