Timothée Chalamet shares first images of upcoming 'Wonka' prequel movie

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Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory fans will soon learn the untold origin story of Mr. Willy Wonka himself.

While Roald Dahl‘s 1964 novel didn’t explore Wonka’s background — nor did its 1971 movie adaption — a 2005 retelling of the book starring Johnny Depp took a crack at it.  The reboot framed the eccentric chocolatier’s ambitions around his joyless upbringing, where he was raised by his candy-hating father, who was a dentist.

Timothée Chalamet stars as the titular candy confectioner in the upcoming 2023 movie and on Sunday, he shared a first look of the anticipated film to his Instagram.

“The suspense is terrible, I hope it will last,” he captioned the post, a direct quote spoken by the late Gene Wilder in the 1971 movie.  

One still shows Chalamet glancing devilishly to the side while standing in the snow.  His costume seems to blend the styles worn by Wilder and Depp’s respective Wonka interpretations, with the Dune star wearing a brown top hat similar to the one seen in the 1971 film and a maroon jacket that more closely resembles the one Depp wore in the reboot. In addition, Chalamet’s brown and curly hair reflects the way Wilder styled his in the 50-year-old classic — unlike the sleek brunet bob Depp rocked over 15 years ago.

A second photo is a closeup of what appears to be a cane, with its intricate top opened up like a flower, revealing a little purple box tied in a red ribbon at the center.

Wonka — also starring Olivia ColmanSally HawkinsRowan Atkinson and Keegan-Michael Key — is currently filming and will tell the story of how the titular character came to open a world-famous chocolate factory, including how he met his future employees, the Oompa-Loompas.

 

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