Timothée Chalamet casted as Willy Wonka in new rendition; discussions arise

As we all know by now, Timothée Chalamet was casted in the upcoming “Willy Wonka” film as the titular character. The film is a prequel, giving us a look at some of the earlier years before the 1971 version takes place. Chalamet has played a range of roles, from Hal in “The King” to Theodore “Laurie” Laurence in “Little Women.” How will Chalamet execute this character? Will he be able to live up to the standards set by past actors in the role?

One of the main discussions surrounding “Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory” is the feel of it compared to previous films. This film portrayed the story as a fairytale of magic in the factory and the wonders that lie within. This makes the vivid coloring and overexaggerated child acting fit in perfectly with this picture portrait family movie. The 2005 “Charlie and The Chocolate Factory” was a more ominous movie, and to the eye seemed darker than the original in 1971. This film was very much overemphasized, which made for a much more surreal and twisted experience than the classic, making it a true Tim Burton movie.

The character Willy Wonka itself is portrayed and represented quite differently in each of these adaptations. Gene Wilder depicted Wonka as an active individual with as much energy as the kids; as well as a hint of sass and overexaggerated emotional representation. Johnny Depp in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” is popularly described as childlike and dark, which is what is expected from a Burton movie. 

Adrienne Tyler for SCREENRANT also addresses this contrast of character between each film. “Depp’s version also has an evil side, and because his is not subtle like Wilder’s, it’s perceived by most viewers as a psychotic version of the character,” wrote Tyler.

Other easily distinguishable traits are the way they look on the outside opposed to how they act, for example, the fashion discrepancies between the two. Depp had dark undertones in his attire, matching the theme and feel of the movie. Whereas Wilder has a more eccentric and colorful sense about his clothing, complimenting his personality and matching himself as a person. The behind the scenes pictures from the upcoming Willy Wonka seem to take after both Wilder’s and Depp’s style, making his clothes appear more realistic and not as bold as the 1971 film. Whether the realistic aspect of the clothes is how the film will be represented, we are not sure as of yet. This film is set to release in 2023 and is still in production.