Willy Wonka Movie Prequel Coming In 2023

Set before Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka is getting a prequel film.

by Andrew Pollard
Willy Wonka Wilder
Warner bros

Having been in loose development for several years now, Warner Bros. is finally powering fully forward with a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory prequel.

As per Variety, said prequel is formally titled Wonka, and the current plan is for the picture to hit the silver screen on 17 March 2023.

Saturday Night Live and An American Pickle scribe Simon Rich has already put the story together for Wonka, and Harry Potter and Paddington producer David Heyman is overseeing the film for Warners.

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In the director’s chair, Wonka has Paul King on board. King is best known for helming the aforementioned brilliant two Paddington movies.

Roald Dahl’s 1964 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory novel centred on young Charlie Bucket. With his family living in poverty, Charlie wins himself the opportunity to take a tour of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka’s wonderous factory. The tale concludes with Willy making Charlie his heir, all due to the sheer goodness within the boy.

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That novel was adapted into 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, with Gene Wilder in the role of Wonka. Skipping ahead to 2005, Johnny Depp suited up as Willy Wonka in Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

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As for what we can expect for this Wonka prequel movie, all that’s known about the film is that it will focus on Willy Wonka in the days before he opened up his elaborate, iconic factory.

This isn’t the only Willy Wonka-driven project in the works, mind, for Netflix has brought Thor: Ragnarok’s Taika Waititi into write, direct and produce two animated Wonka series for the on-demand streaming service.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.