First look at Timothée Chalamet as Willy Wonka in upcoming origins movie

Timothée Chalamet in Dune
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Your first look at Timothée Chalamet as Willy Wonka in the upcoming origins movie Wonka is here.

The actor shared the photo on social media, captioning the Instagram post with "The suspense is terrible, I hope it will last... WONKA" – a quote famously said by Gene Wilder's iconic version of Wonka in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

Swipe along on Instagram, and you'll see another, closer look at the costume, too: a small, wrapped box inside Wonka's cane. Check out the post below. 

The film will be a prequel, exploring Wonka's life before his massive success. It will also be a musical, with original songs written by The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon.

Alongside Chalamet, the cast includes Olivia Colman, Rowan Atkinson, Sally Hawkins, Keegan-Michael Key, Matt Lucas, Tom Davis, Rich Fulcher, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, and Ellie White. Paddington helmer Paul King directs the film.

Per a casting announcement, Wonka will dive into the "vivid, mythical beginnings of the imaginative young inventor before he becomes the renowned scrumdiddlyumptious Mozart of chocolate." Expect another eccentric take on the chocolatier, then.

This isn't the only Roald Dahl adaptation headed our way, either. Netflix recently acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company – and already has a new take on Matilda in the works, with Emma Thompson playing Miss Trunchball and No Time to Die's Lashana Lynch portraying Miss Honey.

Chalamet can next be seen as Paul Atreides in the sci-fi epic Dune, which is out October 22 in the US in theaters and on HBO Max, and in UK cinemas the same day. 

Wonka is due to arrive March 17, 2023. Until then, check out our guide to all of 2021's upcoming major movie release dates.

Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.