Posted in: Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: Timothee Chalamet, warner bros discovery, Wonka

What Convinced Timothée Chalamet Wonka Wasn't A "Cynical Money Grab"

Timothée Chalamet was skeptical about Wonka, thinking it could be a "cynical money grab," but three pages into the script, something changed his mind.

When it was first announced that Warner Bros. would be doing a prequel to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, people were rightfully dubious. In the age of studios latching onto any recognizable IP to try and make a buck, even those unfamiliar with Hollywood were becoming cynical. It was made worse by the fact that most of these money grabs weren't any good, and that just felt like it was doubly insulting because not only was it a waste of time and money, but it was also tarnishing the legacy of the original even just a little. So everyone was worried about Wonka the moment it was announced, and it turns out we weren't the only ones. Star Timothée Chalamet revealed to Total Film that he too thought that this was a "cynical money grab," but once he got his hands on the script, there was something only three pages in that changed his mind. 

"Like many people, when there are remakes, I feel very protective over the original character and versions you love," Chalamet explains. "Your eyebrows go up with skepticism about [whether] this is a legitimate, worthwhile story or a cynical money grab. But I was reading the first three pages of the script, and the song 'Hat Full of Dreams' was in there. And there was no music to accompany it, but the lyrics were so clever. [It's] about this young Willy, who was definitively not the crazy, cynical, kind of jaded, brain-fried version that we see in the two prior films but was very hopeful, young, ambitious, won't-take-no-for-an-answer, maybe a little naive. I think that's very clever."

So far, the reviews coming down for Wonka are pretty positive, and it could have a very good holiday season as families look for a film to see together as an outing. Warner Bros. Discovery has other options for people with different tastes, but positive reactions are a good first step to drumming up hype for this one. No one had Wonka of all films being good on their 2023 bingo card, but stranger things have happened this year at the movies.

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, set to open in theaters and in IMAX internationally beginning in December 2023 and in North America on December 15, 2023; it will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

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