Another Nother 'Willy Wonka' Reboot Is Reportedly in the Works

Warner Bros. has acquired the rights to the 'Willy Wonka' intellectual property and is planning another reboot soon.

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Complex Original

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The producer behind the Harry Potter franchise and its spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is teaming up with Warner Bros. again to revitalize another iconic character: Willy Wonka. 

According to Variety, David Heyman will produce with Michael Siegel, who is the manager of the Roald Dahl Estate. Kevin McCormick is an executive producer, and The Secret Life of Pets writer Simon Rich will be putting together the script. 

Sources tell Variety Warner Bros. acquired the rights to the Willa Wonka intellectual property from the Dahl estate. Its sources also say the film won’t be an original story, but a movie that focuses on Wonka and his early adventures. As of now, we don’t know who from the original book series will be involved in the project besides Wonka. If the reboot is successful, it is likely that Charlie Bucket and other characters will appear in future installments of a possible franchise.

Variety reported the studio secured the rights from the Dahl Estate in a deal closed earlier this fall. Dahl has wrote two books in which Wonka was featured in: 1964’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and 1972’s Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. However, Dahl has never written anything that specifically centered on the Wonka character.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was recently revamped in 2005 by Warner Bros., with Tim Burton directing and Johnny Depp starring as Wonka.

Gene Wilder, who played the original Wonka in 1971, died on Aug. 29 at his home in Stamford, Conn. at the age of 83.

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