Warner Bros. is looking to give the legendary Willy Wonka his own origin story, and the studio reportedly has its eye on some of the hottest young names in the industry for the titular role.
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According to a new report from Collider, WB’s shortlist for the new Willy Wonka has three names at the forefront: Ezra Miller, Ryan Gosling, and Donald Glover.
The upcoming Willy Wonka movie is being directed by Paddington helmer Paul King, with a script by Man Seeking Woman‘s Simon Rich. Putting the film together is longtime Harry Potter producer David Heyman. The movie is said to be an origin story of sorts, explaining how Willy Wonka became rich and started his eccentric empire.
As far as the three actors go, all of them are already names that would draw a ton of interest from fans around the world. Miller stars as The Flash for DC’s movie universe, Gosling is an Academy Award nominee who recently struck gold with La La Land and Blade Runner 2049, and Glover has recently taken the entertainment industry by storm, stealing the show as Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story and breaking new ground as the writer/producer/star of the award-winning FX series, Atlanta.
While Glover might be the hottest name of the three on the list, he is the only one currently hard at work with other studios. Not only does he have a television deal with Fox, but Glover has also been working heavily with Disney, appearing in both Star Wars and Marvel properties, and voicing Simba in the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Lion King.
Warner Bros. already has a lot invested in both Miller and Gosling. The former has already starred in both the DC and Harry Potter franchises, while the latter has appeared in WB films like Blade Runner 2049, The Nice Guys, and Gangster Squad.
Which actor do you think should get the Willy Wonka role? Do you have any other choices in mind? Let us know your thoughts on the subject by dropping a line in the comment section below.
