The sad death of actor Gene Wilder a couple of months ago had us reflecting on one of his most famous roles: that of Willy Wonka in the original adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. Now, according to Variety, Harry Potter producer David Heyman is developing another take on the character.
Unlike the 1971 Wilder-starring Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory, or Tim Burton's 2005 Johnny Depp-as-Wonka effort Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, this is planned as more of a stand-alone tale about Wonka's early adventures. Not an origin story (as was dreamt up and explored by Burton), but more his travels to find exotic ingredients that would fuel his confectionary creations.
Warner Bros. has apparently been negotiation with the Roald Dahl Estate for the rights to make a Wonka movie, and the deal finally closed recently. Now The Secret Life Of Pets contributor Simon Rich will write the script for the film, which seems unlikely to feature Charlie or anyone else, but might lead to yet another take on the factory story if this first film is successful. If we had our druthers, we'd skip to Charlie And The Great Glass Elevator. Those Vermicious Knids won't wait...