Paul King’s Wonka: Meet the cast 

The much-awaited prequel to the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Paul King's Wonka dropped its first trailer on July 11, 2023. The movie takes a different approach than the 2005 remake by Tim Burton, and delves into the journey of Willy Wonka from being a nobody to a world-famous chocolatier. The movie is slated for a 15 December 2023 release.

The movie review aggregator, Rotten Tomatoes, has provided a brief summary of the movie:

"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."

The trailer for the movie gives the audience a sneak peek into the cast which includes Timothée Chalamet, Keegan-Michael Key, Rowan Atkinson, Sally Hawkins, Olivia Colman, Hugh Grant, and Jim Carter. The Paddington director, Paul King, along with Simon Farnaby wrote the screenplay for the third movie adaption of the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.

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Wonka's ensemble features the industry's best

1) Timothée Chalamet

Timothée Chalamet will be stepping into the shoes of legendary actors Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp to play a younger version of the greatest magician, chocolatier, and inventor of all time, Willy Wonka in the upcoming film. While the trailer has sparked quite the conversation if Chalamet is indeed the right fit, his portrayal of the whimsical candy maker should give us a fresh perspective.

Timothée Chalamet shot to international fame as Elio Perlman in Luca Guadagnino's Call Me By Your Name for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Besides big-budget films like Dune, Bones and All, and Little Women, Chalamet has featured in small roles in Christopher Nolan's science fiction film Interstellar, Greta Gerwig's coming-of-age Ladybird, and Showtime's thriller series Homeland.

The 27-year-old American-French actor has recently been in the spotlight for a rumoured affair with Kylie Jenner and is set to appear in the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic as the singer-songwriter himself.

2) Olivia Colman

The 49-year-old English actress has been spotted in the Wonka trailer as part of a villainous duo with Tom Davis, together functioning as Scrubit and Bleacher - a washer house giant. Olivia Colman has been the recipient of an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Emmy Awards, three British Academy Television Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards in total.

Her recent projects include includes The Night Manager (2016), Fleabag (2016–2019), The Crown (2019–2020), The Father (2020), and The Lost Daughter (2021). Colman witnessed a breakthrough in the industry through her role as Sophie Hortensia Chapman in Channel 4's Peep Show (2003–2015).

3) Rowan Atkinson

The trailer shows us a glimpse of the fan-favourite Rowan Atkinson who screams across the screen as animals are let loose on the grounds of a possible church building. He plays the role of a priest dressed in the typical black and white attire.

Atkinson, popular for his roles in Blackadder (1983–1989) and Mr. Bean (1990–1995), has been playing the protagonist of the Johnny English franchise. His other films include Never Say Never Again (1983), Love Actually (2003) and Maigret (2016–2017). He has been listed as one of the 50 funniest actors in British comedy by The Observer in 2003.

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Additional cast members

The upcoming movie by Paul King will additionally feature Keegan-Michael Key, Sally Hawkins, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, and Hugh Grant in a cameo as an Oompa Loompa.

Watch Wonka as it hits the theatres on December 15, 2023.