Possible Willy Wonka casting..... (1 Viewer)

[Qui-Gon John]

It's not re-imaging. it's a new adaptation of the source novel. By many people's definition, a remake would start with the old screenplay.

Well I can live with that alot more than a remake. I do agree the original WW is a classic. But, (and I have not read this book), if there is a great difference between the book and the original, then a version true to the book would not take away from the musical version. Kinda like Planet Of The Apes. The classic original movie had a lot of differences from the book, (which I did read). I would have enjoyed Burton's newer version much more if it had held very close to the book. Then I would not have felt it was a lame re-imaging of the prior movie.

 

[Eric Peterson]

Wow!! I can totally see Christopher Walken pulling off an amazing Willy Wonka. I read the book in grade school, so I don't remember a lot - but I seem to remember Wonka being a bit scarier than he is in the original movie. Walken could pull that off in a heart beat. In general, I hate remakes, but in this case I'm all for it. I would love to see a complete accurate interpretation of the novel. Now, I want to go re-read the book.

 

[Carlo_M]

Putting aside the notion of whether or not the remake should be made...

I read somewhere (was it on the DVD?) that Wilder was chosen because of his ability to "convey initial madness" - well going by that, I could easily see Walken chosen for the role!

 

[Chris Lockwood]

Is Veruca Salt doing the soundtrack?

 

[JohanD]

haha touche'

don't care how, I want it now!

 

[Brenton]

I think it sounds like a pretty poor idea for a movie. But... Christopher Walken would be awesome in this role!

 

[Colin Jacobson]

The book has Charlie as the main character, the film Willy Wonka.

I disagree. We don't even SEE Wonka until almost halfway into the thing, and he remains the focal point. He just doesn't SEEM like the focus because Peter Ostrum offered such an incredibly bland and boring performance...

 

[Sean Dilly]

J. Depp would be perfect playing Willy Wonka

 

[Dave Poehlman]

I'd be excited to see a "book-version" of the movie.

However, I can't see Keaton pulling it off... You need someone more quirky.. Walken would be perfect. Depp, another good choice, but I think you need someone a little older.

I've never read the book, but I hear it's a lot wierder than the Wonka movie... how about Anthony Hopkins as a more creepy chocolate maker? "It's good to see you again, Charlie."

 

[Brian Kidd]

The book is full of its own strangeness, but I don't seem to recall it being darker or weirder than the movie. The tunnel scene in the movie is enough to put it over the edge into nightmare fuel territory...in a good way.

I have no problem with them making a straight adaptation of the book, I just don't see much point. The only reason a story should be remade is if the creative team behind the remake genuinely feels that they can bring something to the film that would make it special. I just don't see that happening in this case.

 

[Greg_M]

Nicholas Cage would be a good choice. Martin Short is box-office poison. But isn't Wonka supposed to be kinda old?


Quote "I've heard that Dahl was not happy with the film"

I've also heard this though the original film really isn't that much different from the book. With the exception of Charlie's Dad being gone and the children only bringing one parent (and using geese instead of the squirrels) the film pretty much follows the book.

 

[Colin-H]

I've also heard this though the original film really isn't that much different from the book. With the exception of Charlie's Dad being gone and the children only bringing one parent (and using geese instead of the squirrels) the film pretty much follows the book.

Basically, in the book, character development is secondary to plot development, but in the movie, Charlie's character is a little more than the polite impoverished kid who gets lucky because he does nothing wrong.

Another major change involves political correctness. In Dahl's original book (printed in 1964, not the revised edition printed in 1973, which is after the movie was released), the Oompa-Loompas were "a tribe of 3,000 amiable black pygmies who have been imported by Mr. Willy Wonka from 'the very deepest and darkest part of the African jungle where no white man had been before.'" They were not orange-skinned, green-haired midgets from Loompaland. When … the Great Glass Elevator was published, a revised edition of CatCF was also published, in which the Oompa-Loompas became dwarves with golden brown hair and rosy white skin from the mythical Loompaland.

In fact, there was a huge controversy over the book. It's important to note that this essay was published after the movie's release, but before the revised book was published.

Citation: Most of these ideas come from "Charlie and the Political-Correctness Factory" by Cassandra Pierce. I haven't read the book since I was a boy, but once I found out about this controversy, it really intrigued me, so I've been reading up on it.