There will soon be a new Willy Wonka in town, but fans devoted to the original cinematic incarnation of the character aren't having it.
One day after actor Timothée Chalamet dropped a first look of himself portraying the beloved chocolatier in the upcoming Wonka, fans voiced their displeasure across social media. Twitter user Manatee Max tweeted a photo of Gene Wilder as the iconic character, stating "Gene Wilder is Willie [sic] Wonka. Accept no cheap imitations." "Gene Wilder = Willy Wonka. The End," tweeted user @muchlovemax, accompanied by another photo of Wilder's Wonka.
Kelly D tweeted, "For the love of Pete, whoever that is, please stop remaking Willy Wonka. No one will ever top Gene Wilder." And Pugnado tweeted, "Tell me again how you think there is a better Willy Wonka than Gene Wilder," accompanied with the photo of Wilder's Wonka seen in the meme frequently circulated across social media.
There were many other similar reactions across Twitter.
The original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, directed by Mel Stuart, just celebrated its 50th anniversary. The film received critical acclaim upon its release in 1971 but wasn't an initial box office success. It has since become a classic for children of the era.
Chalamet isn't the first actor after Wilder to portray the beloved candy maker, and certainly isn't the first to face fan backlash for doing so. Johnny Depp next played Wonka in Tim Burton's 2005 remake Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and even then many fans weren't ready to see anyone outside of Wilder take on the role.
Both films were adapted from Roald Dahl's 1964 children's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Wonka reportedly focuses on a young Willy Wonka in his days before opening his legendary chocolate factory.
In Dahl's book and the subsequent film adaptations, young Charlie Bucket is a child growing up in a poor family, but scores one of the highly coveted golden tickets awarding him a trip to Wonka's wonderous chocolate factory. In a tour of the factory filled with both wonder and danger, Charlie wins Wonka's favor and is set up to become the heir to his chocolate empire.
Wonka has been in development since 2016, and in addition to Chalamet, has also cast Key & Peel's Keegan-Michael Key and Mr. Bean's Rowan Atkinson.
Wonka is directed by Paul King and written by Simon Rich and has begun principal photography. It is scheduled to open theatrically on March 17, 2023.
Source: Twitter