Three more names have been added to the cast list for Warner Bros.' upcoming prequel Wonka.
Actors Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Colman and Sally Hawkins have joined the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory prequel film. Atkinson is best known for his work in British television as the lead characters on both Blackadder and Mr. Bean. Hawkins received Academy Award nominations for her work in films like Blue Jasmine and The Shape of Water, the latter of which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2018. Similarly, Colman received an Oscar nomination for appearing in The Father and, in 2019, won the award for Best Actress for her role as Queen Anne in The Favourite. The trio joins Timothée Chalamet as the famous chocolatier and Keegan-Michael Key in an undisclosed role.
Warner Bros. describes Wonka's story as an exploration of the "vivid, mythical beginnings of the imaginative young inventor before he becomes the renowned scrumdiddlyumptious Mozart of chocolate." Paul King, director of the Paddington movies, will helm the film from a script by Simon Farnaby (Mindhorn), who will also star. Neil Hannon, frontman for the Northern Irish pop band The Divine Comedy, will contribute original songs for the feature.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory originated as a 1964 children's novel by author Roald Dahl and has since seen several adaptations for the stage and screen. Classic film version Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, directed by Mel Stuart and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, was released in 1971 to critical acclaim. Another film adaptation, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was released in 2005 from director Tim Burton; this version starred Johnny Depp as a more unsettlingly eccentric Wonka.
Earlier this month, Netflix revealed it had acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company and with it Dahl's entire catalog of stories, including Matilda, James and the Giant Peach and more. The streamer intends to craft a "unique universe" of Roald Dahl projects "across animated and live-action films and TV, publishing, games, immersive experiences, live theatre, consumer products and more." In 2020, Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi was tapped to direct two animated series for Netflix -- one based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and one centering on Wonka's whimsical helpers the Oompa-Loompas.
Principal photography on Wonka has begun. The film is set to release on March 17, 2023.
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures