Olivia Colman, Rowan Atkinson, Sally Hawkins join ‘Wonka’ as UK shoot starts

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Olivia Colman, Rowan Atkinson and Sally Hawkins have joined Warner Bros’ Wonka as production got underway in the UK on Wednesday (September 29).

The trio join Timothée Chalamet in the lead role as Willy Wonka in the studio’s Roald Dahl spin-off. New cast include Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Tom Davis, Simon Farnaby, Rich Fulcher, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Paterson Joseph, Keegan-Michael Key, Colin O’Brien, Natasha Rothwell, Rakhee Thakrar and Ellie White.

Paul King of the Paddington films directs and Harry Potter universe producer David Heyman produces alongside Luke Kelly, who produced the recent feature adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches as well as the upcoming Matilda, and Alexandra Derbyshire, who was executive on the Paddington films.

Wonka takes place prior to events in Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and imagines the origins of the young inventor. King wrote the screenplay with Paddington 2 co-writer Farnaby (with prior writers including Simon Rich, Simon Stephenson, Jeff Nathanson, and Steven Levenson). Michael Siegel and Rosie Alison are executive producers.

Wonka is scheduled to open on March 17, 2023. Warner Bros handles global distribution.

Source: screendaily.com – Olivia Colman, Rowan Atkinson, Sally Hawkins join ‘Wonka’ as UK shoot starts

Olivia Colman rumoured to play Wonka villain

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First details have popped up about the upcoming Willy Wonka prequel movie, that Paddington’s Paul King is directing.

Pre-production on the Charlie And Chocolate Factory prequel, Wonka, is underway, and as such, a few details have started to emerge about the film’s cast and story.

Firstly, Olivia Colman is reportedly involved, and is set to play the film’s villain. It sounds like good casting to us, especially if the Oscar-winning actor is going to give us an antagonistic performance to match her role in The Favourite, for which she won her Academy Award (and more importantly, stole every scene she was in).

Also, some early details about the film’s plot have surfaced too. The story will reportedly be set in the mid-nineteenth century, in the heart of the industrial revolution, likely meaning the story will be located, at least partly, in England. The oompa loompas are set to feature as well, according to reports, with Wonka questing to win their aid.

Wonka is set to shoot in early 2022. Paul King, director of two perfect Paddington movies will be directing, which gives us hope that in a world of recycled character prequels, Wonka could actually be something really special if it can summon up some of that Roald Dahl spirit. We’ll let you know as we hear more.

Source: filmstories.co.uk – Olivia Colman rumoured to play Wonka villain