The reviews are rolling in for the Wonka prequel film, which digs into the backstory behind the famed eccentric chocolatier. The movie with music features seven new numbers penned by Irish songwriter Neil Hannon. Timothée Chalamet stars in the title role, originally created on screen by the late Gene Wilder. The film, set to hit theatres December 15, is directed by Paul King and co-written by King and Simon Farnaby.
Chalamet is joined onscreen by Hugh Grant, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Matthew Boynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Colman, and more.
Read the reviews here.
Business Insider (Kirsten Acuna)
The Daily Beast (Nick Schager)
Entertainment Weekly (Maureen Lee Lenker)
The Hollywood Reporter (David Rooney)
The Independent (Clarisse Loughrey)
Screenrant (Mae Abdulbaki)
USA Today (Brian Truitt)
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Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.
The original 1971 film, itself a movie musical based on the Roald Dahl novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, featured songs by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, who had earlier collaborated on Broadway's The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd and Stop the World - I Want to Get Off. Several of the Willy Wonka film songs were interpolated into the 2017 Broadway musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which additionally featured new songs by Hairspray and Some Like It Hot songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Tony winner Christian Borle originated the title role for Broadway.
