Paddington 2 director Paul King is currently in final talks to direct the next big screen adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. King is currently one of the most in-demand directors for children’s films, as both Paddington and Paddington 2 became critical and box office successes upon arrival.
Willy Wonka has seen numerous film iterations throughout the years. First penned by Roald Dahl in 1964, the book follows Charlie Bucket, a downtrodden youth, who wins a chance to visit eccentric candy mogul Willy Wonka’s factory, eventually becoming the heir to his fortune. The story was turned into a film starring Gene Wilder in 1971. The 2005 version by Tim Burton featured Johnny Depp in the starring role.
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, the latest iteration of the story was penned by Simon Rich, whose credits include work on The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live and Pixar’s Inside Out. The new Willy Wonka is part of an initiative by Warner Bros. to reboot various Dahl properties, like The Witches, which is currently in development with a script by Guillermo del Toro.
King’s involvement in Willy Wonka is one of the first public pieces of news about the film, which currently has no release date or casting information to speak of.