Willy Wonka Fans Weigh in on Character's New Look for Timothee Chalamet's Prequel Movie

By Michael Hein

On Sunday fans got their first look at Timothée Chalamet in costume as Willy Wonka in the upcoming prequel movie, and they had some strong opinions. Social media overflowed with tweets about Chalemet, Wonka and prequels in general. Many already predicted that this movie would miss the point of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory franchise altogether.

Chalamet has been tapped to play a young version of Willy Wonka in Warner Bros.' new movie Wonka, which will explore the chocolatier's rise to fame and wealth, as well as his relationship with the Oompa Loompas. The teaser image shared online this weekend shows Chalamet in a velvet jacket, cylindrical top hat and a patterned scarf — not unlike the costume worn by Gene Wilder in the 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Fans also compared Chalamet here to Johnny Depp in Tim Burton's 2005 version, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Either way, the comparison was skewed heavily by the current sentiment surrounding Chalamet. Fans felt that it was somewhat odd to see someone widely accepted as attractive playing this eccentric character, and they even perceived a smolder in his eyes that they thought represented a change in Wonka's character. Others thought this was a good fit, but they incurred plenty of backlash on social media.

Wonka is currently filming and is scheduled to premiere on March 17, 2023. From the looks of it, every subsequent peek at this film will send social media into an uproar. Here's a look at what people had to say about the first look this weekend.

Why Young?

Many people thought that a prequel about a young Wonka was an odd choice, and questioned who the target audience of such a project was. They proposed other additions to the franchise that they felt were more fitting.

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Sex Sells

Chalamet has half the world swooning thanks to his early rom-com appearances, so he strikes many people as an odd choice for Wonka. However, others argued that Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp were also both considered sex symbols in their days.

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Zendaya

Fans who are following Chalamet's personal life were quick to wonder what his friend, colleague and likely girlfriend Zendaya had to say about this costume. They found myriad ways to interpret her one-word comment on Instagram: "Absolutely."

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Favorite Wonka

Fans were quick to establish their new lineup of favorite Wonka actors, and in general, Wilder seemed to be at the top. However, Depp had some die-hard followers, and of course, some were already prepared to put Chalamet up high as well.

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Edits

Some fans put together hasty edits to correct this teaser image to their taste — often inserting longer hair to match their vision of Wonka.

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Grandpa Joe

Fans thought that a prequel about Charlie's grandparents might be more interesting, though a bit more dark. They figured it would explain how all four of them ended up so sick and why they all sleep in one large bed together.

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Gonzo

Finally, more than a few people thought Chalamet's costume here was familiar not from the Willy Wonka franchise, but from The Muppet Christmas Carol, where Gonzo wore an eerily similar hat and jacket combination.

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