Despite the abundance of creative minds the entertainment industry is home to, there are an abundance of classic works from past decades that still permeate pop culture today. From the esteemed Disney originals that made the media empire what it is today to the iconic horror franchises of the 1980’s, it is virtually impossible to let these films go given the seismic role they have played in shaping entertainment as we know it. As a result however production studios have been more eager than ever to revisit these classic titles and reimagine them for a new generation of moviegoers, with Hollywood’s latest endeavor to do exactly that seemingly hitting a snag that’ll delay its release considerably. Warner Brothers announced this morning that moviegoers can anticipate a release date much more in line with the holiday season for Wonka, the highly anticipated project starring the beloved Timothée Chalamet, putting itself on a list of several high-profile projects that announced delays this week.
Serving as a prequel to the classic 1964 Roald Dahl novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, later adapted into film by Warner Brothers in 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Wonka stars Chalamet as thee iconic chocolatier Willy Wonka prior to the events many of us know him best for. Seemingly serving as an origin story for the timeless character that will trace his journey prior to amassing the fortune he has in both the aforementioned novel and film, it should certainly be interesting to see what Chalamet does with the character. Fans of the iconic film franchise will have to wait longer than expected however after Warner Brothers pushed the film’s release date back nine months. Wonka joins a growing list of projects that includes the DC live-action blockbusters Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and The Flash, both of which were set to premiere this year but now will not see theaters until March and June, respectively, of 2023. COVID-19 has been cited by Warner Brothers as the driving force behind these delays that only highlights the destruction the virus can cause even on Hollywood film sets. Wonka may serve as the prime example of that ultimately with the filmnow set to hit theaters on December 15th, 2023, nine months after it was initially intended to release.
Wonka has Chalamet attempting to fill some pretty big shoes. Gene Wilder’s iconic 1971 performance of the esteemed chocolatier Willy Wonka is one of the most memorable performances in all of Hollywood’s illustrious history, however Chalamet’s character is going to attempt to put a unique twist on the franchise that nobody could have really expected. A talented actor to say the least, it should be interesting to see what he makes of it; moviegoers will have to remain patient though and look at Wonka as an early Christmas gift when it does eventually hit theaters late next year.
