No movie intrigues and haunts us more than the upcoming Timothée Chalamet vehicle Wonka: an origin story for the famed fictional chocolatier with a penchant for theatrical showcases and a disregard for safeguarding children.
When it was shooting in 2021, on-set fan sleuthing gave us a glimpse at Wonka’s stunning costuming and Victorian-era set pieces, sending social media into a frenzy, as we all collectively try to decipher the mood of the movie. Now, select critics have seen it, and have lovely things to say!
So what do we know about Wonka’s plot, release date and cast? And what are these reviews like? Here are your answers.
What’s the plot of Wonka?
While you’re surely well versed in the story of Roald Dahl’s classic novel, as well as the 1970s Hollywood adaptation, it’s worth noting that this Wonka movie will not be treading the same subject material.
Instead, Wonka is set to be an origin story that tells the tale of the famed chocolatier during his younger years, including, apparently, when he first met the Oompa Loompas. The new trailer shows Wonka meeting Lofty (a “whopper” for an Oompa Loompa, apparently) for the first time, and the adventure they take to bring joy and chocolate to the masses, much to the chagrin of many in his town.
Is there a trailer?
There is! Watch the latest one above and the first one below.
Who stars in Wonka?
Of course, we know by now that Timothée Chalamet will star as the lead role in Wonka as its titular character, beating out the likes of Donald Glover and Tom Holland. He’s joined by an elaborate collection of British acting greats: Oscar-winner Olivia Colman and Mr Bean himself, Rowan Atkinson. Others involved include Keegan-Michael Key, relative newcomer Calah Lane, as well as Jim Carter and Rakhee Thakrar.
Who is the team behind it?
Wonka has been directed by Paul King, who made magic in the past with both the Paddington films and British sitcom The Mighty Boosh. King co-wrote the script with Simon Farnaby, who he worked with on Paddington 2 and who has written the screenplay for Robert Zemeckis’ forthcoming Pinocchio remake. Producing the whole thing is David Heyman, who has worked on the Harry Potter series and Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.
Oscar nominated production designer Nathan Crowley has joined the project, and he’s best known for his brooding and dark work with Christopher Nolan on the Batman trilogy and Inception. Slightly sinister Wonka movie musical? Maybe so!
So is it a musical?
In a recent Rolling Stone interview, the film’s director Paul King said that he offered the role to Timmy directly. “It was a straight offer,” he said. “He was the only person in my mind who could do it. But because he’s Timothée Chalamet and his life is so absurd, his high school musical performances are on YouTube and have hundreds of thousands of views. So I knew from stanning for Timmy Chalamet that he could sing and dance really well.” Now the entire world will get to witness the fruits of his childhood tap dancing, alongside Hugh Grant in orange-face.
But Timmy isn’t by any means a one trick pony. “[He]’s got a beautiful singing voice,” the director recently told Total Film. “The person it reminded me of was Bing Crosby. There’s quite a range because it does go from a couple of bigger, showstopper-y sort of things, to moments of real, pure emotion, and he can do it all… I’m going to sound like a crazed fan.” He continued: “The Oompa Loompas sing a lot in the book, and Dahl always uses poetry, but I didn’t want it to just become a musical where people are singing dialogue to each other for no discernible reason. I felt like it was more like a movie with songs than a musical.”
What are the reviews like for Wonka?
While the official review embargo won’t lift until Monday 4 December, the social embargo has. That means that critics who saw the film early are allowed to let us know how they feel about it. “Wonka is, in fact, good” Vanity Fair critic Richard Lawson tweeted, adding that he cried three times. David Ehrlich of IndieWire tweeted: “Wonka good. Paul King king.” BFI’s Lou Thomas wrote it was “a large, lavish musical production of great wit [and] terrific visual splendour”. Zoë Rose Bryant called it “an instant holiday classic”.
So there we have it! Wonka is, despite everybody’s worst fears, actually quite good!
Were there any on-set sightings?
When Ms Omicron came for everybody’s ass in December 2021, including the whole set of Timothée Chalamet’s Wonka movie, production shut down before resuming at Oxford University in early 2022. When it did, die hard stans flocked to the set to catch a glimpse of TC in full regalia taking pictures and TikToks as they went.
Beyond the aforementioned snaps, there was, of course, the OG Wonka set stalker. In October 2021, famed Twitter queer @_artsartsarts stumbled upon the set of the movie in their own, usually rather uneventful town of Lyme Regis.
According to passers by and members of the crew, apparently Timmy was shooting in a green boat (could he be coming or going somewhere? Oompa Loompa land?!) and by a shed on the pier, which had been doused in fake snow. And then, alas! A few hours later, Timmy jumped on social media to reveal the first photo from the set. Art recognised it immediately.
What is Wonka’s release date?
Though the Omicron-related delay shifted the production from its original 17 March 2023 release date, we can now reportedly expect to see Wonka just in time for Christmas, when it hits cinemas in the UK on 8 December 2023 before arriving in the US a week later.