Feh. The first movie is vastly overrated–filled with cheap-looking sets, godawful songs and repulsive Oompah-Loompahs.
That’s assuming that they knew it was a remake.
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You know what Orson Welles last words were? “Please don’t let Ted Turner rub his crayons over my beautiful movie.” 'Nuff said.
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Oh, come on now, Frankie wasn’t that bad an actor. No, Lawrence Oliver, admittedly, but I’d rather watch Frank’s worst movie than anything featuring Pauly Shore.
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I think of Hitchcock, but lots of these youngun’s tain’t never heard of him.
I just want to second the idea that Marilyn Manson would make a terrific dark Wonka!
Is that anything like the limited edition dark chocolate and white chocolate Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups they were selling?
Walken has to play the guy in the candy store. Christopher Lee is the tinker in front of the factory. Marilyn Manson will be Slugworth.
I have spoken. Go about your business, citizens. 
I’m with Dr. Rieux. I grew up in the 70s and somehow didn’t know the movie existed til the 90s. I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory many times and it took me a while to appreciate the Willy Wonka movie at all. I’ve never thought of it as a good adaptation of the book. The movie is so American. I never thought of Charlie as an American kid. That candy store in the movie is one of the most unappealing places I’ve ever seen captured on film. It has some kind of weird gay 90s USA fourth of July vibe. The songs were horrible! The oompah loompah song was the pits. Even Gene Wilder bothered me.
The only part of the original movie that ever seemed anything like the book to me was Charlie’s teacher and the wart remover. That scene had the Dahl vibe to me. The only Dahl book I’ve ever really liked as a movie was James and the Giant Peach.
I like everything Johnny Depp does. And as far as I’m concerned, the worst has already happened when it comes to bad adaptations of Roald Dahl books.
Burton has to go to his Nightmare Before Christmas roots to make Wonka work.
Does anyone know if Baby Burton has emerged yet?
As long as the movie makers are doing it on THEIR nickle and not my nickle is fine.
How many times did they redo “A Christmas Carol” before they came around to Alastair Sim?
Okay, okay…you preferred the Mickey Mouse, or the Muppets, or Patrick Stewart.
Gene Wilder is God.
But as long as we’re recasting…how about Malcolm McDowell as Slugworth and maybe Tim Curry as Wonka? Can we wedge Alan Rickman in somehow?
I like the scary guys.
Slugworth? Slugworth barely featured in the book. If this is a proper adaptation rather than a remake, they’ll cut out that silly subplot from that wretched musical.
And another thing I hope they’ll restore: proper Oompa Loompa songs. Take a look at the ones from the novel; they are filled with far more wit and sadistic humour than the unbearably didactic monstrosities from the movie.
All those of you thinking, “I hope they don’t screw up” are missing the point. The real opportunity presented with this new adaptation is to restore glory to a great story.
(I’m also crossing fingers for CATGGE to be added to the movie - I want to see CGI Vermicious Knids)
gex gex, I’m with you on the Oompa Loompa songs. The ones in GGE are also pretty good. Love that scene with Wonka dancing furiously and singing a contemptuous song at the Knids as their ships approach the–space station/hotel? Gotta re-read.
Sampiro, another David Garrison fan! I try to catch his plays whenver I can–he was indeed delightfully villianous in TITANIC, tried his best as Sandor in the anemic BELLS ARE RINGING revival, a fantastic, fussy, and finally poignant Malvolio last year at Long Wharf in New Haven, a businessman seeking love early this summer at the Vineyard, and he was exquisite as Henry Carr last weekend, alternating between brilliance and cluelessness and handling the tricky Stoppard dialogue perfectly. And I have the entire run of IT’S YOUR MOVE on tape, including a grainy version of the seldom-aired second half of ‘Dregs’ (I think it was interrupted by some news event and never aired on NBC). I missed him on Married when he left but I agree it was the best thing for him to do–he’s having quite a stellar theater career, although in one interview he did say that “Every now and then, in the middle of the night, my checkbook wakes me up and says ‘Excuse me, but you were an idiot’”. 
</hijack>
How’d you do I, think you’ve found my decadent, candy land…
ok, if we have Curry, McDowell & Rickman, we gotta throw in Rickman Jr aka Alan Cummings.
]hijack[
Btw,while I have nothing against Paul Reubens & hope he can regain a career, he is still under investigation for possession of erotica involving minors (the legal defense given is that they are very old pictures that are part of a vast collection of historic erotica). Jeffrey Jones (whose movie work I’ve also enjoyed & whom I would like to see in WONKA) has been accused of taking pics of an underage teen boy & it has some connection to the Reubens case.
]end of hijack[
“Oooooh, OOMPY!”
I’m not much of a fan of the movie version. The Oompa-Loompas were terrible, just terrible. And they screwed up the morality of the book. The movie Charlie drinks the fizzy lifting drink AND GETS AWAY WITH IT! If the movie followed the conventions of the book, Charlie would have been chopped to bits by the fan, just like the little bastard deserved.
Any child who disobeys orders, or is rude, deserves a horrible horrible punishment. If you obey orders and are polite, then you deserve a wonderful reward. That is the message of the book. The movie botched it.
I’ve loved this movie ever since I saw it in the theater as a wee kid, and I adore Gene Wilder as Wonka. I was very nervous when people started talking remake and mentioning Nicolas Cage as a strong contender for the part. I can’t think of anyone worse suited to play Wonka…okay, maybe Michael Jackson <shudder>.
After seeing “Pirates of the Caribbean,” though, I’m convinced that Johnny Depp could pull it off. Tim Burton directing could be very good if he’s on his game. It’s that kind of movie–the “Edward Scissorhands” vibe would be good for it. I loved the creepy undertones of the original, and I think Burton could play them up.
My first choice for Wonka would be Alan Cumming. When I saw him in “Spy Kids,” I turned to the spouse and said, “That’s the new Willy Wonka.” But Depp would be fine too.
As for Gene Wilder as Grandpa Joe–uh uh. Please no. I was in love with Wilder as Wonka as a kid–the sarcasm, the urbane creepiness, the aura of hidden danger…to see him now playing bumbling, simple, decent Grandpa Joe would seriously screw with my worldview. If Wilder’s to have a cameo, let him play Slugworth, or maybe the guy in the candy shop at the beginning.
OK, that’s the best cyber-impression I’ve ever seen. In fact, I just coined the term “cyber-impression” to describe it–that’s how good it was.
George C. Scott, actually…
I certainly would. I was furious when his wonderful show was canceled and thought it was the dumbest. reason. ever. I like Pee Wee and Paul Reubens very much.
As far as leaving a classic alone; if they are just remaking the MOVIE I absolutely agree. You can not improve upon that marvellous satire nor upon the acting in the original.
IF the purpose is to make a version of the actual book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” which bore little to no resemblance to the movie whatsoever, then why not? I think it’s a good idea and I wish to heck someone would do it with more of Stephen King’s books that have been slaughtered on film. Then again Roald Dahl is sorta creepy.