Everybody knows that toy movies are what manufacturers — and, to a lesser extent, Hollywood — hope will replace superhero movies as the event-cinema adaptation-based summer blockbuster in the years to come. If you haven’t checked out that New Yorker article about Mattel’s newfound initiative to bring every one of their properties to the big screen, we highly recommend that you do. But we’re honestly surprised that Timothée Chalamet would agree to star in a Tonka project, given that the actor of choice has held off on starring in so many franchise works unless they have real talent involved (Dune being the biggest example of this). We haven’t watched the trailer that Warner Bros. dropped recently just yet, but we’re wondering exactly what sort of truck he’ll be drivin-
Wait, hold on.
Jesus, we totally misread that press release.
It’s Wonka, not Tonka. It’s another Willy Wonka movie, this time from the dude who did the Paddington movies (get ready for critics to either lavishly praise this one or give him a beatdown for flying too close to the sun with those movies).
God help us all. Peep it yourself:
Well, that is a whole lot of money being spent on a story that we can’t imagine too many people are curious about. But hey, we get Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa, so it can’t be all bad, can it?
Here’s a synopsis:
“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. From Paul King, writer/director of the ‘Paddington’ films, David Heyman, producer of ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘Gravity,’ ‘Fantastic Beasts’ and ‘Paddington,’ and producers Alexandra Derbyshire (the ‘Paddington’ films, ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’) and Luke Kelly (‘Roald Dahl’s The Witches’), comes an intoxicating mix of magic and music, mayhem and emotion, all told with fabulous heart and humor. Starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role, this irresistibly vivid and inventive big screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time — proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.”
Wonka hits theaters on December 15.