# Re Tim Burton's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" remake with Depp as Wonka - Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 21, 2003, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681 "2003-08-21T14:43:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681/1 "2003-08-21T14:43:11Z")
Can’t they just leave a classic alone. [Will Depp Play Willy Wonka?](http://www.zap2it.com/movies/news/story/0,1259,---18380,00.html) And what about the also ran Wonkas listed - Christopher Walken, Michael Keaton and Paul Reubens? What kind of Wonkas would they have made? Gene Wilder was wonderful, but was he true to the darker side of the book? Would Depp really make a better Wonka? > [@](#): > > LOS ANGELES ([Zap2it.com](http://Zap2it.com)) – Screen heartthrob Johnny Depp, star of the summer blockbuster “The Pirates of the Caribbean,” has been offered the role of Willy Wonka in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” according to the BBC. > > In a [Zap2it.com](http://Zap2it.com) poll, we asked readers who they thought should play the lovable recluse Wonka. Depp garnered almost half of the votes, beating out Christopher Walken, Michael Keaton and Paul Reubens respectively. > > If Depp accepts the offer from director Tim Burton, the film would start shooting next year. The 1971 version starred Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka and was directed by Mel Stuart after his daughter, Madeline, reportedly read “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl and suggested that it should be a movie. ---
**Author:** ![PeppermintPatty85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@PeppermintPatty85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PeppermintPatty85)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681/2 "2003-08-21T15:10:49Z")
I agree that they should just leavea classic alone. While Paul Reubens would make an excellent Wonka, in my opinion, better than the monotone (and terrifying i might add) Walken, and maybe better than Michael Keaton, no parent is going to take their chid to see it, primarily becuase it’s “Pee Wee” and well we all know how dirty he is. And before when I also heard this rumor, and I heard Johnny Depp as Wonka and even rumor of Ewan McGregor as Wonka I was a little disheartened… But, after seeing Depp’s stellar performance in Pirates of the Carribbean, I have no doubt in my head, that it would be a genius role for him. Ewan McGregor really bothers me, and his singing voice makes me want to stab and scoop my eyes out with sporks. But I think Johnny Depp would make a fine Wonka, if they were to remake the movie. I’m more concerned about who would play Charlie, and Granpa Joe. Those performances aren’t easy to come by. ---
**Author:** ![NYR407](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@NYR407](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NYR407)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681/3 "2003-08-21T15:27:53Z")
As much as I hate the fact that they are going to remake a classic I am glad that it is not with **Marilyn Manson** as Wonka. I heard that rumor a few years ago and was absolutley appauled. I have a feeling this will be quite different than the Mel Stuart/Gene Wilder verson. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681/4 "2003-08-21T15:32:58Z")
Yes, there are many worrisome aspects to this news. Now, I consider myself a Willy Wonka/Gene Wilder movie fan, and a Depp fan, so I will give it a chance, wary tho I may be. The most interesting comments I have read on this topic (sorry I don’t have reference) were that the new movie will not be a remake of the Gene Wilder movie, but more a readaptation of the original book. The author didn’t like the musical and his estate seems happy with Burton and his choices. The silliest comment I’ve read so far said Depp is too young for the part. I know he doesn’t look it, but he is 40. Wonder how old Wilder when he played in his version. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681/5 "2003-08-21T16:05:12Z")
IIRC, in the book Willy Wonka is getting on in years and that’s why he is looking for someone to take over the chocolate factory for him. So it’s not silly at all to say that a 40-year-old Depp is too young for the part, if you are expecting an adaptation that is more “true” to the book. That said, I like Depp and I think he could pull it off. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681/6 "2003-08-21T16:14:33Z")
I think this sounds wonderful. It sounds like the movie that Burton was born to make, and it was only a cruel twist of time that he wasn’t around to make the first version. I feel sorry for you people who apparently are forced to see movies against your will, and wish this weren’t being made. Have you tried informing the police of your situation? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681/7 "2003-08-21T16:16:39Z")
Depp could be great, Walken would have been even better (especially if teh new version is also a musical!). I’d love to see the book reinterpreted as a near-horror story. It’s not like the original will vanish. Burton’s perfectky for the job. Just the right mix of the horrific and grotesque and whimsy. Yeah, some classics pretty much can’t be improved (whatever happened to the rumors of a Bennifer remake of Casablanca), but others can be reinterpreted from time to time, or would you never see another production of Hamlet? ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681/8 "2003-08-21T16:33:15Z")
Burton could potentially do a great job with _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_, or he could botch it. If his recent “re-interpretations” are any indicator (_Sleepy Hollow_ and _Planet of the Apes_), then his take on Wonka will likely be horrid. If Burton can find his center again, and recapture the vision which made _Edward Scissorhands_ and _Ed Wood_ so good, then he might just pull this one off. Honestly, I haven’t enjoyed a new Tim Burton movie in years. He seems to have lost whatever he once had. Nevertheless, I’ll see this just because I love the source material so much. ---
**Author:** ![aaslatten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@aaslatten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aaslatten)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681/9 "2003-08-21T16:55:16Z")
I agree with everything **Avalonian** said. Just having Depp involved is no guarantee that this won’t be a disaster. Burton makes everything into a cartoon these days. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681/10 "2003-08-21T17:18:39Z")
I have the perfect suggestion for a Wonka who can combine zaniness and childlike spirit with lifelong fixation on one substance and yet is believable as somebody getting along in years: Ozzie Osbourne. "Oompah loompa oprah de d That \*\*\*\*in oompah loompah just peed on my rug! Bring me the \*\*\*\*in pickax… ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681/11 "2003-08-21T17:35:03Z")
Ozzy lurching around in that huge purple hat would be perfect. “Come with me…Sharon, what’re the f\*\*\*ing words?” ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681/12 "2003-08-21T17:35:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NYR407 \* > As much as I hate the fact that they are going to remake a classic I am glad that it is not with **Marilyn Manson** as Wonka. I heard that rumor a few years ago and was absolutley appauled. Okay, I’ll bite – why does the thought of Marilyn Manson as Willy Wonka “appauled” [sic] you? Is it because of his poor acting skills, or just reflexive “Marilyn Manson is icky” fears? (I’m not a Manson fan, I’m just curious if he’s getting villified unfairly here) ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681/13 "2003-08-21T17:36:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Menocchio \* > \*\*Depp could be great, Walken would have been even better (especially if the new version is also a musical!). > \*\* It would certainly make the boat-ride scene interesting… "Scooch closer, children. “Don’t make me tell you again about the schooching.” ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681/14 "2003-08-21T17:44:24Z")
Sampiro - in a wierd example of synergism (hope that’s the right word) I read on IMDB that Johnny Depp is interested in doing a biopic of Ozzy Osborne. (Hopefully, that will come to naught.) ---
**Author:** ![Opengrave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/919ad9/32.png) [@Opengrave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opengrave)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681/15 "2003-08-21T17:47:04Z")
I think Robert Downey Jr would be way better, then again there are those _problems_ with him. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681/16 "2003-08-21T17:55:34Z")
I applaud the decision to re-do _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_. I typically abhor remaking movies… however, CATCF is a BOOK. The '70s version was an adaptation of the book, interpreted by the writer and/or director from the original source material. Tim Burton will just be re-interpreting the source material, not the original movie. Further, I hope that Burton goes “all the way” and does CATCF as well as _The Great Glass Elevator_. That book is right up his alley. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681/17 "2003-08-21T17:56:14Z")
Hey I liked Sleepy Hollow! ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681/18 "2003-08-21T18:23:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PeppermintPatty85 \* > \*\*no parent is going to take their chid to see it, primarily becuase it’s “Pee Wee” and well we all know how dirty he is. \*\* How dirty is he? Because he made a mistake and got caught doing what most American males do? Because he got caught by a policeman who had nothing better to do than to raid a porno theatre? In light of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, or even the OJ Simpson Trial, what Reubans did wasn’t that big of a deal. Sorry about that, but I felt I had to defend him. 😃 As for the OP, I would love to see Depp as Wonka. Even though Wonka’s part is important, I am wondering who will play Charlie. After all, it is called _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_. The new Veruca Salt will be hard to replace, though. “Make them work nights!” ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681/19 "2003-08-21T19:01:10Z")
I don’t get why remaking old movies bothers people so much. There are two possible out comes to this movie: it’ll be worse than the original, or it’ll be better. If it’s better, then Yay! there’s a great new movie in the world for everyone to enjoy. And if it’s worse, then so what? It’s not like they’re going to burn all the copies of the original once the new one is finished. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681/20 "2003-08-21T19:08:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rabid Child \* > \*\*How dirty is he? Because he made a mistake and got caught doing what most American males do? Because he got caught by a policeman who had nothing better to do than to raid a porno theatre? In light of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, or even the OJ Simpson Trial, what Reubans did wasn’t that big of a deal. > > Sorry about that, but I felt I had to defend him. 😃 > > As for the OP, I would love to see Depp as Wonka. Even though Wonka’s part is important, I am wondering who will play Charlie. After all, it is called _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_. The new Veruca Salt will be hard to replace, though. “Make them work nights!” \*\* I want see a western with Paul Rubens and George Michael. Whatever shall they call it? Hmmm… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-tim-burtons-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-remake-with-depp-as-wonka-why/196681.md?page=2)