It truly is a world of pure imagination in which Timothée Chalamet can become a hip, young version of Willy Wonka. So it is with the hotly anticipated Wonka, premiering December 15, in which one of our finest young actors tries his hand at being a song and dance man. The first trailer for the prequel flick has finally been released, and it’s about as bizarre and intriguing as could be expected.
The new trailer adds some interesting lore to the Roald Dahl classic. Namely, that the Dickensian-urchin looking Wonka is a mama’s boy who set out on his chocolate quest to make his mother proud. Unfortunately, he’s up against the “chocolate cartel,” who have the local market in a stranglehold. Of course, Wonka is an inventor as well as chocolatier, and the competition can’t possibly keep up with a chocolate that makes you defy gravity.
Chalamet called “swimming in actual chocolate” for the film “one of the more bizarre experiences I’ve had for sure” at CinemaCon earlier this year. Working with Hugh Grant, on the other hand, was “a dream come true,” even if he did spend it as a little Oompa Loompa. We need some behind the scenes images to demonstrate exactly how these two shot together, pronto!
Director Paul King, meanwhile, had nothing but praise for his star. “He’s such a brilliant actor at expressing really deep emotions within the context of a family movie. He’s just extraordinary as well at singing and dancing,” King gushed about Chalamet to Entertainment Weekly. (Chalamet doesn’t actually do any singing in the trailer, but there are some glimpses at big dance numbers.) “He’s got the voice of an angel and the toes of… I don’t know what toes. I can’t wait for people to see it. I think it’s gonna blow people away.”
King co-wrote the Wonka script with Simon Farnaby (with whom he collaborated on Paddington 2). The musical also stars Calah Lane, Olivia Colman, Rowan Atkinson, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Paterson Joseph, Natasha Rothwell, Jim Carter, and Sally Hawkins.
