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

Wonka Tried To Recreate A Scene From The 1971 Film But Failed

Wonka star Timothée Chalamet has revealed that they tried, but failed, to recreate Gene Wilder's entrance from the original 1971 film.

Published Sat, 09 Dec 2023 16:32:08 -0600

by Kaitlyn Booth

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Article Summary

Timothée Chalamet discusses attempting and failing to replicate Gene Wilder's iconic entrance.
Wonka finds success by capturing the essence of the original without a shot-for-shot approach.
Chalamet's portrayal channels Wilder's energy while forging his own unique take on Wonka.
Film's message reaffirms the importance of originality over attempting to recreate greatness.

The reviews for Wonka are in, and to the surprise of many, it looks like the film is pretty good. No one thought that would end up on the 2023 bingo card, and even star Timothée Chalamet was nervous about signing onto the film initially because he wasn't sure if the film would be a cynical cash grab. One reason the film works is because it tries to capture the essence of the original while not doing the exact same thing. That was right on every front because it made Wonka stand on its own while still feeling connected to the original 1971 film. The universe must have been working in favor of this film because Chalamet revealed to BBC Radio 1 (via ScreenRant) that they tried to emulate Gene Wilder's famous introduction in the original movie and couldn't make it work.

"Maybe I shouldn't even say this because it will look like we failed, but failure is important," Chalamet explained. "But we tried in the opening chocolate store sequence where Slugworth, Prodnose and Fickelgruber are introduced, the evil chocolatiers. We tried a bit to get that roll in, and …we put a magnet on the bottom of the cane, and then a magnet on the floor, cause he leaves it in place. And then the roll itself is nearly impossible to accomplish. But actually getting the cane to stay, we figured on the original they must have built a tiny hole in the ground or something for Gene Wilder to [place the cane], but I don't know.

We saw this earlier in the year with The Little Mermaid. While the shot-for-shot remake scenes were fine, they were just fine because they were shot-for-shot remakes of great scenes that already existed. The moments when that movie was good were when it was doing its own thing while still feeling like it was still telling the same story. Wonka seems to be approaching things in a similar way, even down to Chalamet's performance. He has a lot of the energy and charm of Wilder, but he's not doing a bad impression or mimicking either. There is no escaping films like Wonka and The Little Mermaid, but these films need to understand that shot-for-shot is never the way to go. You channel the feeling, the energy, and the vibes of the original and apply it to new things to tell your story. So this introduction not working out is the universe reminding everyone that you can't just recreate great things and expect them to be great again.

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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