WONKA
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“Wonka” Early Reactions: Timothée Chalamet is a Charisma Factory in Paul King’s Winning Confection

November 29, 2023
By The Credits

Perhaps we shouldn’t be the least bit surprised that Paddington and Paddington 2 director Paul King seems to have delivered a heartfelt and deliriously fun treat with Wonka. The early reactions are pouring in like a river of chocolate, and they’re deliciously positive.

Chalamet’s performance as the young chocolatier and confection wizard Willy Wonka is being hailed as a masterclass in charm and charisma, while the supporting cast and whimsical world in King’s conjuring of Wonka’s early years are all coming in for major praise. Production designer Nathan Crowley, in particular, is being name-checked for his contributions to the film’s sumptuous look.

Wonka reveals how the restless inventor of all things wondrous and sweet became the Willy Wonka that mesmerized millions of children, first through the pages of Roald Dahl’s iconic work and then in the 1971 adaptation Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, in which the playful, ever-so-slightly maniacal magician of chocolate was played by the great Gene Wilder.

Wonka is based on a script by King, Simon Farnaby, and Simon Rich and details how Chalamet’s Wonka faces a mountain of challenges to surmount, mainly in the form of a Chocolate Cartel that aims to thwart his dreams. Wonka includes a ton of music—Chalamet has seven songs himself—and a cast that includes Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa, Olivia Colman, Keegan-Michael Key, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Calah Lane, Colin O’Brien, Matt Lucas, Simon Farnaby, Natasha Rothwell, and Rufus Jones.

Let’s take a quick sweep of the Wonka early reactions below. Wonka hits theaters on December 15:

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Featured image: Caption: Caption: TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET as Willy Wonka in Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures’ “WONKA,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Jaap Buittendijk

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The Credits

The Credits is an online magazine that tells the story behind the story to celebrate our large and diverse creative community. Focusing on profiles of below-the-line filmmakers, The Credits celebrates the often uncelebrated individuals who are indispensable to the films and TV shows we love.