Wonka (March 17, 2023)?

[chalamander]

Collider tweeted the possibility of Timmy playing a young Willy Wonka—apparently he and Tom Holland are being considered. I love the original version with Gene Wilder and I can absolutely see Timmy give this role a new spin but also adding a Wilder reference here and there.

[Simone]

Thanks for creating this thread!

I hope this comes to fruition because Timotheé as a younger Wonka version of Johnny's older Wonka would be pitch perfect. Too perfect!

Fingers crossed!

[Simone]

[chalamander]

The pictures you chose are too perfect! I need to rewatch the Depp version but this photo comparison seals it for me (with a Hershey’s kiss)!

[Simone]

Jan 19, 2021 12:55:45 GMT -8 chalamander said:

The pictures you chose are too perfect! I need to rewatch the Depp version but this photo comparison seals it for me (with a Hershey’s kiss)!

Thanks, I specifically searched for the image of Timmy in a burgundy jacket to try to go along with what Johnny's Willy Wonka wore, to prove a point.

The Tom Holland fans came out like an army to support their boy, and the Depp haters are in full hate mode too, so the discussion isn't fun. Let's see how this plays out. If Timmy wants it, I'm sure it's his. Warner Brothers want to get this 25-year-old actor well under their wings for the next decade, if not longer.

[tracyrcat]

I haven't seen any of the Willy Wonka's - didn't interest me. But if Timothee wants to do it and he gets the role, good for him. I'll absolutely watch it with him in it!

[Simone]

Oh Tracy, you must watch one of the versions! I love both the Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp versions, and you should probably watch both. But only IF Timmy is given and accepts the role. Seeing that you're a fellow GenXer, I'm astonished you haven't seen either, they are so entertaining and funny.

[chalametthegreat]

I am a big fan of Tom Holland and Timothee Chalamet. I met Holland at a convention since I am a Marvel and Spiderman fanboy and yes I swooned even though I am a man in his 30s. I dressed in a Spiderman costume for our photo! If the news reports are accurate, it would be funny if they indeed were in competition together again for Willy Wonka since they were both up for Spiderman years ago. I would put money on Timothee this time, but best of luck to each of them! I admire them both.

Now I enjoy the Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp versions of Willy Wonka. The Wilder movie songs and performances are so iconic and memorable. "Pure imagination..." The Depp film has more intriguing Wonka backstory especially involving Wonkas father. I miss Christopher Lee, and may he rest in peace! But to be honest I still rewatch way more often the Wilder version, because I think the original has that rare cinematic magic spark that makes it a classic over the remake. And for me Wilder is just Willy Wonka in my imagination now since I grew up with him on television. Depps version does creep me out even though Tim Burton does humanize the character by the end of the film with a moving ending. Wilder is such a great actor though with conveying both warmth and sarcasm at the same time. He is missed as well!

[Simone]

This Vice article makes a strong case for why Timmy may not need to take the Willy Wonka role. But I'm still holding out hope that since so many of his other projects are on the backburner until the pandemic is managed (4K Miles and Bob Dylan), starring in Wonka would be a new direction he could take his career. We're in a pandemic, WB has the ability to start filming Wonka by this Spring, safely. Unless Timmy has something else lined up, I say, why not?

Half of the job of a good actor, alongside their agent, is being strategic with their next move. The questions often asked: Is this a good look? Is the fee for this (expect a big pay packet for a big studio project with franchise potential) worth it if it bombs with critics and audiences? And is the material strong enough for you to stand by it throughout a five-month shoot? If this project were on the table of Timothée, he and his team would likely be mulling over those questions, looking at what's in the pipeline, examining his current legacy, and asking whether or not a project like this would add to or detract from it.

After all, no young actor in Hollywood has the clout that Timothée possesses. Every move since Call Me by Your Name has exemplified his most endearing and impressive qualities. He segued from a lovestruck queer teenager into douchey high schooler (Lady Bird), to a meth-addicted man into Young Henry V. Then he highlighted humility, returning to work as a small but key part of a talented ensemble in Little Women, then doing the same in the as-of-now unseen The French Dispatch -- both projects with arthouse darling filmmakers. His next is what all of this gears up to: being strong enough to pull in a huge audience for Dune; a sci-fi blockbuster, yes, but one directed by a man known for bringing excellence to the usually vapid territory, Denis Villeneuve.