“I never thought that I would see, a Netflix release, theatrically. But suddenly I begin to see, a chocolate factory.” Those aren’t actually the words to “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket,” but it’s a decent enough rewrite for these purposes. The world of Willy Wonka is one of arguably unnecessary remakes. The original musical from 1971 starring Gene Wilder is one of the greatest family films of all time. But then we got Tim Burton‘s remake, the Wonka prequel that was actually okay, and pop-up experiences that turned out to be horror shows. Next up is a Netflix animated film that will actually be getting a theatrical release!
Willy Wonka: Convicted Criminal
Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory is set to be a fairly unusual take on the mythos. The details of the plot have not been fully revealed. To that end, we don’t know if this is taking place in the same continuity as other films. What we do know is that Willy Wonka has recently been released from prison. Yes, you read that sentence correctly. His factory was full of OSHA violations after all. He also may have burned a kid to death in the furnace? Drowned one in chocolate? Who knows. Regardless, bad things happened, Wonka went to jail, now he’s out.
Charlie and a bunch of teenagers are planning to burglarize the factory though. Reports say it’s because the families are facing eviction but why is that? And what does the factory have to do with it? Are they trying to steal valuable things to pay off their mortgages? Is the factory somehow imposing higher taxes on the surrounding properties? Feel like there are more questions and answers with that plot detail. Also feels like this could send Wonka back to prison if he’s going to be out for revenge. Could be like a reverse Home Alone situation there. Now the kids are looking for trouble, and Wonka is dishing it out.
Kit and Taika
Kit Connor will be playing the voice of Charlie. This is another big role for him as he was just recently announced as the new Cyclops for Marvel’s upcoming X-Men film. Wonka meanwhile, will be played by Taika Waititi. It’s actually really good casting for him. Waititi has a wild, comic energy that’s well suited to the role of Willy Wonka. He played a completely unhinged and imaginary Adolf Hitler in JoJo Rabbit. If he takes that kind of oddness and channels it into someone that’s not a Nazi, it will go well. Assuming of course Willy Wonka isn’t actually a Nazi. We don’t think he is, but he did have an army of Oompa Loompas.
[https://www.cbs.com/shows/video/gFIT8dqGCPqXy1M_J7KWoCGRQHaxiZAq/]
Anyway, the movie is still a ways off. It’s hitting theaters on November 5, 2027. A month and a half later it’ll be on Netflix on December 22nd. This is Netflix basically trying to make up for what happened with KPop Demon Hunters. That film proved to be so big that missing out on a full-on theatrical release left millions upon millions of dollars on the table. Netflix doesn’t want that to happen again and obviously wants to test those waters with other films. Are audiences going to go to an animated Wonka film though? Well, the aforementioned Wonka movie from 2023 did well for itself. Maybe Netflix has a winner here.
