New 'Willy Wonka' Movie Confirmed To Be A Prequel

When the latest entry into the Willy Wonka universe comes out — whenever that may fall — it'll look like nothing like any previous Wonka flick. According to Collider, the new movie will be a prequel.

Speaking on the press tour for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, producer David Heyman says the latest movie will be an origin of sorts.

"We are still trying to figure out how to tell that story, what the story is. It's a prequel, it's not a sequel," Heyman revealed. "What makes Willy—when we find him at the chocolate factory doing the golden ticket, where is he before that? What leads him to that place where he's locked himself away?"

"It's how does he get there? So we're playing around with that."

Heyman then went on to say he hopes to get this new iteration made with Paul King (Paddington franchise) directing — although King is about to enter production on Disney's Pinocchio.

Collider reported earlier this summer that Warner Brothers had narrowed down the short list of actors being considered for the movie's lead role to three household Hollywood names: Donald Glover, Ryan Gosling, and Ezra Miller.

When the movie was originally announced, Heyman did tease that it could be an origin film. Heyman also revealed that they were working with Simon Rich (Man Seeking Woman) on a script.

"It's not a remake. They've done two films, quite different. But it's possibly an origin story. We're just in the early stages of it, working with a writer called Simon Rich, which is wonderful," Heyman reflected. "It's challenging because you don't have Dahl, you don't have a Dahl book, and yet you have a Dahl character."

"But I think there's a lot in his character that suggests who he is and also where he might come from or what his childhood or his middle age might have been like. So we're exploring that. We're discussing it. We're in the very early stages and very excited about what lies ahead."

As it sounds like they're still ironing out details regarding the script, the movie probably won't be scheduled for quite some time. At this rate, fans should expect to see the new Wonka movie any earlier than 2020.

Are you excited to see another Willy Wonka movie? Do you prefer the Gene Wilder-led classic or do you like Tim Burton's 2005 remake better? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!