Posted in: Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: Wonka

Director Paul King Confirms That Wonka 2 Is In Development

Director Paul King has confirmed that a sequel to Wonka is in active development, and they have "about half a draft."

When Warner Bros. first announced its intention to do a Willy Wonka prequel movie, everyone thought it was a terrible idea and pretty much the amalgamation of everything wrong with the film industry. There was a reason to hope when they brought on Paul King to be the director because King really knows how to capture whimsey and magic in a very special way. There is a reason the Paddington movies are as beloved as they are. The film was a critical and commercial smash hit, somehow bypassing how harsh audiences have been on musicals in the last decade. There have been rumors and talks about a sequel for a little while now, but King is currently doing the rounds for Paddington in Peru. He was asked about the sequel by HeyUGuys in such a way that they asked if the movie was 100% confirmed already, and King replied with how far along they are, thus confirming that Wonka 2 is in active development.

"We're very early. We've got about half of a draft. We got a story that we like, and we know where we want to take him, and we try to get some international travel in it. So maybe that's the only tease I'll give, but hopefully, I'm going to get some air miles off this one."

There is something genuinely wholesome about being excited that you might get some excellent airline miles if you take your film to international locations. We see you, Paul. Either way, King remains the sole reason to have any hope that this film will be good the same way he was the sole reason to have faith in the first film. A sequel to a prequel that no one thought needed to exist in the first place that ended up being a commercial and critical smash hit? This industry is in a very weird place right now, and the existence of Wonka 2, much in the same way as Wonka, remains a shining example.

Wonka: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl's most iconic children's book and one of the best-selling children's books of all time, Wonka tells the wondrous story of how the world's greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.

From Paul King, writer/director of the Paddington films, David Heyman, producer of Harry Potter, Gravity, Fantastic Beasts and Paddington, and producers Alexandra Derbyshire (the Paddington films, Jurassic World: Dominion) and Luke Kelly (Roald Dahl's The Witches), comes an intoxicating mix of magic and music, mayhem and emotion, all told with fabulous heart and humor. Starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role, this irresistibly vivid and inventive big-screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time—proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you're lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.

Starring alongside Chalamet are Calah Lane (The Day Shall Come), Emmy and Peabody Award winner Keegan-Michael Key (The Prom, Schmigadoon), Paterson Joseph (Vigil, Noughts + Crosses), Matt Lucas (Paddington, Little Britain), Mathew Baynton (The Wrong Mans, Ghosts), Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water, the Paddington films, Spencer), Rowan Atkinson (the Johnny English and Mr. Bean films, Love Actually), Jim Carter (Downton Abbey), with Oscar winner Olivia Colman (The Favourite). The film also stars Natasha Rothwell (White Lotus, Insecure), Rich Fulcher (Marriage Story, Disenchantment), Rakhee Thakrar (Sex Education, Four Weddings and a Funeral), Tom Davis (Paddington 2, King Gary) and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Paddington 2, Zack Snyder's Justice League, Mary Poppins Returns).

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents, in Association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Heyday Films Production, a Paul King Confection, Wonka,  opened in theaters and in IMAX internationally beginning in December 2023 and in North America on December 15, 2023; it was distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

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