Exclusive: Donald Glover, Ryan Gosling Lead WB's Willy Wonka Shortlist
Four months after hiring
Paddington helmer
Paul King to direct its new Willy Wonka movie, Warner Bros. has begun putting together a shortlist of stars for the titular role, and we hear it’s led by
Ryan Gosling,
Donald Glover and
Ezra Miller.
The project hails from
Harry Potter producer
David Heyman and screenwriter
Simon Rich (
Man Seeking Woman), and it’s rumored to be a prequel that will explore Wonka’s origin story. How did he amass his fortune, and perhaps more importantly, how did he meet those Oompa Loompas?
Warner Bros. can’t really go wrong with any of these actors, so it may come down to whoever sparks to the script. The studio has a lot invested in Miller, who stars in WB’s
Fantastic Beasts franchise (which is produced by Heyman) and plays The Flash in the DC movie universe. Do they trust him enough to give him another potential franchise?
The studio has coveted Gosling for years, working with him on
Blade Runner 2049,
Crazy, Stupid Love,
The Nice Guys and
Gangster Squad. Heck, they even picked up his super-arthouse directorial debut
Lost River, just to be in business with the guy. Gosling will be riding high off
First Man, which could put him back in the Oscar race this fall, and after that, his schedule is pretty clear. He could also stand to do a four-quadrant, family-friendly tentpole, as most of his films have been aimed at adult audiences.
Solo sensation Glover is the real wild card here. Yes, he’s incredibly busy between his hit FX series
Atlanta and his burgeoning music career, but on the film side, all he has coming up is the voice of Simba in Disney’s live-action remake of
The Lion King. We also hear that Glover has actively been chasing this role, and he’d certainly be a welcome change from
Johnny Depp, who led
Tim Burton‘s 2005 adaptation of the
Roald Dahl novel.
Gene Wilder will always be the definitive Willy Wonka, but these three actors have the chance to put their own spin on the role, and we can’t wait to see who WB and King choose for the plum part.
Representatives for Warner Bros., Miller and Glover did not respond to requests for comment regarding this story, though that’s understandable, since it remains early in the casting process and Heyman is currently focused on producing
Quentin Tarantino’s next film
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Stay tuned…
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