Timothée Chalamet shares first look photo as young Willy Wonka
Timothée Chalamet has revealed to fans the first look of himself as the young inventor and chocolate factory genius, Willy Wonka.
Chalamet posted a photo of the eccentric chocolatier from the upcoming origin story film Wonka, to his 13.6 million followers on Instagram Sunday (Oct. 10).
The film, directed by Paul King (Paddington, Paddington 2), will focus on a young Willy Wonka and his adventures before opening the world’s most famous chocolate factory. Chalamet is expected to showcase his singing and dancing skills for the first time in the prequel film.
The upcoming film marks the third time Warner Bros. has adapted the character of Wonka, from Roald Dahl’s 1964 children’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and its 1972 sequel Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.
The role was made famous onscreen by Gene Wilder in 1971's Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Johnny Depp in Tim Burton's 2005 reboot Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The new film will be an origin tale of the chocolate genius and will not feature book protagonist Charlie Bucket.
Chalamet, who can be seen in the upcoming Dune out later this month, also shared a look at Wonka's magical walking cane on his Instagram account. The cane's brass top opens to reveal a purple present wrapped in a perfect red bow.
“The suspense is terrible, I hope it will last … ?WONKA?" Chalamet captioned two Instagram photos.
In other Wonka-related news, award-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit, Thor: Ragnarok) is working on a pair of animated series for Netflix, which acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company in September this year.
One series will reportedly be centered on the world of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and another will be based on the Oompa Loompa workers.
Warner Bros. has set a Wonka release date for the new film on March 17, 2023.