Warner Bros. Pictures.
© Warner Bros. Pictures
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
By: Development HeckDate: Friday, November 05, 2004
Genre:
Family/Fantasy.
Studio:
Warner Bros.
Production Company:
Unknown.
Project Phase:
Released.
Who's In It:
Johnny Depp (Willy Wonka); Freddie Highmore (Charlie Bucketin); David Kelly; AnnaSophia Robb (Violet Beauregarde); Philip Wiegratz; (Augustus Gloop); Jordan Fry (Mike Teevee); Julia Winter (Veruca Salt).
Who's Making It:
Tim Burton (Director); based on the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.
Premise:
A young, good-hearted boy named Charlie wins a golden ticket and a chance to visit a secret candy company and meet its mysterious owner, Willy Wonka.
Release Date:
July 15, 2005.
Comments:
Remember the 1973 movie that starred Gene Wilder? What actor in his right mind thinks he can eclipse the dark glee of Wilder's performance? It's going to take gumption but with Tim Burton calling the shots behind the camera, that actor might just stand a chance of making the role his own.
Scoop Feedback:
May 22, 2003... According to a report published today in Variety, director Tim Burton is very close to coming aboard to direct a new version of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY for Warner Bros. The article states that top WB execs are positive for fitting Burton in as the show's director. The same apparently is true of Roald Dahl's estate, CHARLIE's author.
Warners will toss out the earlier drafts and let Burton start from scratch and from his own vision. Rather interesting is the inclusion of husband/wife acting duo Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston who, along with Brad Grey, will be producing through their film production company named Plan B.
Burton is finishing work on his next film, a comedy titled BIG FISH.
July 8, 2003... Judging from the casting buzz being overheard by ourselves and Dark Horizons, it looks like the search is well underway to find the new Willie Wonka in Tim Burton's remake of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.
According to one of our scoopers, Christopher Walken (CATCH ME IF YOU CAN) is one of the leaders emerging from the acting talent pool. It wouldn't be the first time Walken's worked with Burton; the actor played the part of scheming industrialist Max Schreck in BATMAN RETURNS.
But here's where it gets stranger: yesterday Dark Horizons ran a rumor that Walken's adversary in BATMAN RETURNS, namely Michael Keaton himself, is also being considered for the role of the candy tycoon.
So is Burton looking back at the BATMAN franchise to find his Wonka? [Thanks to our anonymous scooper; with some material appearing first on Dark Horizons.]
August 20, 2003... Today's Variety reports that Johnny Depp has been offered the role of Willy Wonka in Tim Burton's remake of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. Negotiations have begun between Depp's agents and the movie's studio, Warner Bros. The thespian is in a strong position to earn a lot of gold coins; Depp's last film, Disney's PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, is a $250 million dollar blockbuster.
Prior to Johnny Depp becoming the finalist for the part of Wonka, this site reported in early July that Christopher Walken was a strong candidate for the part. Another report issued by the Dark Horizons website said that Michael Keaton was another candidate at the time.
Variety also mentions that screenwriter Pamela Pettler is rewriting the script. Pettler worked on the Burton produced THE CORPSE BRIDE, a stop-motion animation film also at WB. [Scooped by Variety.
May 21, 2004... Young actor Freddie Highmore will portray the new version of Charlie Bucketin Tim Burton's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. He'll star opposite Johnny Depp as the candy creator Willy Wonka.
This is the second film that Highmore and Depp have starred in together; the pair also appeared in the forthcoming drama J.M BARRIE'S NEVERLAND, set for release this fall.
Highmore also starred as the young version of King Arthur in THE MISTS OF AVALON TV mini-series. [Variety.]
June 7, 2004... Actor David Kelly has been cast as Grandpa Joe in CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. The 74-year-old Kelly was just recently seen in LAWS OF ATTRACTION and AGENT CODY BANKS 2 and was also in the 1998 film WAKING NED DEVINE.
In the Roald Dahl book, Grandpa Joe accpmpanies young Charlie on his tour of Willy Wonka's candy factory, offering him a shoulder to lean on when things get scary or difficult. [The Hollywood Reporter.]
June 18, 2004... The names of the child actors playing the four remaining winners of the Wonka Golden Ticket have been revealed:
Freddie Highmore has already been announced in the role of Charlie; David Kelly plays Charlie's Grandpa Joe; and Johnny Depp will be the new Willy Wonka, the world's greatest candy maker.
Warner Bros. wants to release Tim Burton's film on July 15, 2005 -- a prime summer spot. [The Hollywood Reporter.]
October 31, 2004... Ain't It Cool has a report showing three spy photos taken from just outside the boundaries of Pinewood Studios in England showing the exterior sets being used for Tim Burton's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. One photo seems to be of Willy Wonka's factory complex, another shows one of the red Wonka candy delivery vans and the third looks to be of an apartment building. While they're not snaps of Johnny Depp in costume, they're certainly interesting and worth a look.
Meanwhile, if you are looking for that first photo of Depp as the Wonka-man, the British tabloid paper The Sun has landed that pparticular exclusive. It's grainy, it's in black and white and he's wearing sunglasses, but it's our first look at the new Willy Wonka. [Ain't It Cool News, The Sun.]
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