In 2016, Warner Bros. upset fans when they announced a prequel/remake of the 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, just months after Gene Wilder’s death. But it looks like Warner Bros. will go ahead with the attempted reboot of the film, based on the classic Roald Dahl children’s books Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. The studio is reportedly in talks with Paul King (Paddington) to helm the project. The film will be based on a script by Simon Rich (best known for his work on Saturday Night Live), and is being produced by David Heyman (Gravity, Harry Potter).
Dahl’s story was immortalized in film in 1971, with Gene Wilder playing the eccentric chocolatier, and there was also a stage play adaption of the work in 2003. Johnny Depp reprised the role of Willy Wonka in Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 2005. Wilder later claimed in an interview that he wasn’t happy with the remake, and refused to watch the film. The latest reboot, which as of yet doesn’t have a title or cast, is said to be a prequel that explores Wonka’s earlier adventures, prior to the character featuring in the Roald Dahl canon.
