What do Donald Glover, Ryan Gosling, and Ezra Miller Have in Common? A chance at a golden ticket.
After the—well—interesting Johnny Depp-led remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the announcement of another Willy Wonka movie garnered mixed reactions from the franchise’s massive fanbase. However, the rumored shortlist for the role of Wonka boasts big names, such as Donald Glover (Solo: A Star Wars Story), Ryan Gosling (La La Land), and Ezra Miller (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them). The prequel, which will focus on Wonka’s early life, is set to be directed by Paul King, produced by David Heyman, and written by Simon Rich. It’s not surprising to see Miller’s name on the shortlist, as Heyman produced all of the Potter films, including Fantastic Beasts. Hollywood’s all about who you know, amiright?
The WB picked a pretty busy list of actors to work at the helm of such a big movie, including director King. According to Trade Press reports, King is in “negotiations” for a live-action Pinnochio, and since he had a major role in developing the Wonka prequel so far, it’s unclear what will happen if he becomes unavailable.
The OG movie and the remake left out some of the major nitty-gritty aspects of the book, such as spies stealing Wonka’s recipes and other underhanded drama, so if the movie is made, it will be interesting to see where they take the plot. Roald Dahl absolutely hated the original, and the Dahl estate has been pushing for the Depp version to be at the forefront of the franchise. So if the WB is looking to set the movie apart from the others, we think Glover would be their best bet.
h/t DenofGeek
