Timothée Chalametis serving up Willy Wonka’s untold backstory in the first trailer forWonka.
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Timothée Chalamet inWonka(2023).Jaap Buittendijk/Warner Brothers
Jaap Buittendijk/Warner Brothers
Earlier on Tuesday, PEOPLE sharedexclusive photos from the upcoming filmalong with an interview with director King, 44, in which he praised Chalamet as a “phenomenal actor” who was able to successfully put his own spin on the iconic character.
“I think what’s so remarkable about his performance is not only that he is funny and mischievous and quite mysterious, as well — just like the Willy Wonka that people will know — but also, he brings such heart to the role and he’s a brilliant actor,” the director said.
“He’s incredibly emotionally intelligent and can bring a great deal of emotional truth to the role,” King added.
The director said fans of Chalamet might be surprisedthat he “can also sing and dancebrilliantly,” on top of his acting chops.
“It’s really a tour de force for him there,” King said of Chalamet’s performance, adding, “He was rehearsing for months before we went to kind of that honing skills, which was a pleasure to watch.”
Timothée Chalamet and Hugh Grant inWonka(2023).Jaap Buittendijk/Warner Bros.
Jaap Buittendijk/Warner Bros.
The upcoming musical prequel marks the third time that the classic Dahl tale has inspired a feature-film treatment.
The lateGene Wilderled the 1971 musical version,Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, whileJohnny Depptook over as the eccentric chocolatier in the reimagined version over three decades later.
Duringthe fantasy film’s 50th anniversaryin July 2021, members of the originalWilly Wonkafilm told PEOPLE they wereexcited for the new iterationof the tale.
“You can’t kill the Willy Wonka story,” said Peter Ostrum, who originally played Charlie Bucket as a child actor. “So all of it is good. It’s a great story. And people enjoy whatever different version they’re watching; it’s fun to watch.”
Wonkais in theaters Dec. 15.
source: people.com
