Timothée Chalamet has officially been cast to play a young Willy Wonka in the prequel film Wonka, according to Deadline. The A-list actor will be the third person to fill the shoes of novelist Roald Dahl’s beloved candyman, with Gene Wilder in 1971 and Johnny Depp in the iconic 2005 adaptation.
However, unlike previous versions, Wonka solely focuses on the leading character—no Charlie Bucket or desperate search for a golden ticket. Directed by Paul King under Warner Bros, the film is set to cover Wonka’s life before his chocolate factory became a household name. The Paddington director still plans to incorporate musical numbers, as it’s expected for Chalamet to put his singing and dancing skills on display.
While additional information on the film has not been released, audiences are excited about the casting of Chalamet. Until the film’s release, we can catch Chalamet in Dennis Villeneuve’s Dune this October and Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up (alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence) sometime this year.