The first Willy Wonka film was pretty much perfect. Even today, it is a beloved classic that is enjoyed by children and adults alike. A few years ago, Tim Burton tried to reboot the franchise with what might have been one of his (and Johnny Depp’s) worst films of their careers. You’d think that they would have learned their lesson… but, no. Warner Bros has just announced that they think they can do it right this time.
To their credit, they’ve got a couple big things in their favor this time around. Producing the film will be Harry Potter and Gravity producer, David Heyman. As for the script, they’ve tapped Simon Rich, best known for About A Boy and the FXX series (and the book upon which it was based), Man Seeking Woman. Sure, it sounds good, but so did Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, and screenwriter John August (Big Fish, The Nines, and Disney’s upcoming live action Aladdin reboot).
So, why now? The cynic in me is guessing that they are capitalizing on the films resurgence after the recent death of Gene Wilder. Given how much he hated the Tim Burton version of the film, you’d think that maybe they’d be respectful enough to leave it alone.