Wonka director says he had Timothée Chalamet in mind for the role before the script was even finished
Nov. 29, 2023Exclusive: Director Paul King says Timothée Chalamet is “a bit of a genius”
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“There’s little moments where we want to go: this is like a companion piece. “We can just about see how this person grows into an older Gene Wilder,” King tellsSFX magazinein the new issue, which features Doctor Who on the cover. “But equally, I think Timmy is such an original thinker and an actor himself, in a way you have to let that go and build your own thing. And luckily, he’s a bit of a genius. So he built something rather special.”
King’s Willy Wonka origin story – which also sees Chalamet show off his singing and dancing skills – introduces us to Roald Dahl’s legendary chocolate maker long before he’s the proprietor of the infamous factory. New in town and with nothing but some esoteric chocolate ingredients to his name, the movie sees Willy team up with a ragtag bunch of new pals to take down the malicious chocolate cartel and make a name for himself.
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Wonka releases on December 8 in the UK and December 15 in the US. The above is just a snippet from our interview with King, available inthe latest issue of SFX magazine, which features Doctor Who on the cover and is available on newsstands from Friday, December 1. For even more from SFX, sign up for thenewsletter, sending all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.
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I’m the Editor of SFX, the world’s number one sci-fi, fantasy and horror magazine – available digitally and in print every four weeks since 1995. I’ve been editing magazines, and writing for numerous publications since before the Time War. Obviously SFX is the best one. I knew being a geek would work out fine.
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