It seems a Warner Bros. Willy Wonka prequel is really happening, with the studio now announcing a release date of March 17, 2023, and Timothée Chalamet or Tom Holland rumored to star. In theory, you’re probably like, “Wow, that’s fun,” because that’s also how I first reacted to the news. And then the more I thought about a prequel about Willy Wonka, the more I hated the idea. As you may recall, Willy Wonka was an aloof figure for young Charlie Bucket in the Roald Dahl book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
A man who shut down his factory from the public and became a recluse, Wonka randomly decided to invite five lucky guests to his factory, and that’s where we first met him in the book, as well as the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. (And I guess that Tim Burton adaptation, but whatever. That’s a thing that exists.)
So now, Warner Bros. wants to give us a look into who Willy Wonka was before we meet his quirky reclusive and villainous self with Charlie? Uh … okay.
I love Willy Wonka. I grew up watching the Gene Wilder classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, but it seems as if a straight adaptation of the Roald Dahl book isn’t an easy feat. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator are two intricate looks at the character of Willy Wonka and his “legacy,” and … Willy Wonka is not a hero, nor is he someone to “idolize.” If anything, he’s a villain.
What I loved about the Gene Wilder interpretation of the character is that he didn’t shy away from the fact that Willy Wonka is no “hero.” Granted, the 1971 film didn’t touch on the fact that Willy Wonka enslaved the oompa-loompas, but he still willingly sacrificed kids and didn’t explain why he invited these kids to his factory in the first place.
That being said, I’m not completely against the idea of exploring Willy Wonka in a new way. I just don’t want a version of his story where he is somehow a good person. He’s not. That’s a fact, and that shouldn’t be excused in the effort of understanding more of this mythical man. Then again, part of the draw to Willy Wonka is his mystery so maybe a prequel is redundant.
Which leads to the fact that there is also an unnecessary layer to this just like there was with Joker and every other unnecessary prequel we got. Do we need to know a deeper story into why Willy Wonka first closed his doors? Or why Willy Wonka started this all in the first place? Absolutely not.
Where the prequel has my attention is in casting. Tom Holland and Timothée Chalamet (rumored for the role these days, anyway) are honestly maybe the only reason I have any interest in this.
Warner Bros is eyeing Tom Holland or Timothée Chalamet to play Willy Wonka in Warner Bros. ‘WONKA’.
(Source: https://t.co/Z62XK127Ig) pic.twitter.com/ZHpQRMMVpT
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) January 19, 2021
All this being said, I just wish that there were new ideas happening. Not everything has to be an adaptation and there are other franchises and worlds that need building out there. Instead, we’re getting the same stories over and over again and it feels like we’re caught in a loop. Or maybe we’re caught on that boat from Wonka’s factory and we have no idea where we’re going.
Written by An American Pickle‘s Simon Rich and directed by Paddington‘s Paul King, it will at least be funny and have heartwarming scenes? That’s all I got. It’s just an unnecessary movie that might be good but might not and it’s like we’re going to just keep seeing the same characters over and over again.
I want to be excited about this but I’m very…nervous about how people are going to bring Willy Wonka to life.
(via Collider, image: Paramount Pictures)
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