Johnny Depp to play Willy Wonka...

[Guest MissMattitude]

Apparently Johnny Depp is the front runner to play Willy Wonka in Tim Burton's version of 'Charlie & The Chocolate Factory'.

 

Depp is a great choice for the role, in my opinion, and Burton knows how to work with Depp.

[Mecha Mummy 0]

If Depp is even half as awesome as he was in Pirates, I'll go see it.

[Guest WrestlingDeacon]

There was a thread on this a few weeks ago, go looking for it. The two front runners mentioned in that thread was Depp and Christopher Walken.

[Guest Choken One]

Doesn't surprise me but I thought wonka was older which is why I thought Walken would nab it for sure...

[Guest DawnBTVS]

I've always thought of Depp as a very underappreciated actor(Loved him in Ed Wood for example). I'll probably see this as I dig Burton and he's done great with Depp in the past.

[Guest IDrinkRatsMilk]

Depp is probably my favorite actor, actually. I'm in the middle on Burton, but if there was ever a project that can benefit from his style, this is it. So I'm happy with it.

[Guest godthedog]

depp is probably the best young actor working today, with the same emotive power of edward norton or russell crowe and twice the range. even when i saw his unused scenes from 'lost in la mancha' he was golden.

 

but i have the feeling that burton's gonna drop the ball on this one like a retarded 7-year-old trying to bowl. he's always been a hack who is overrated by the fanboys just because he can make cool sets and use lots of wide-angle lenses, & by my count he hasn't made a good movie in nine years (which was also his LEAST tim burton-like movie, keeping his signature stuff at a minimum and letting the actors carry it). burton has a tendency to use bad scripts and try to save his stuff with cool visuals, and i have a feeling he's gonna go way overboard with the visuals here and just give me a headache.

[rising up out of the back seat-nuh 0]

He should be alright with an established story. As long as he doesn't fuck with the script, it should be good...

[Guest welshjerichomark]

Bet the film won't be as good as the original

[Guest godthedog]

He should be alright with an established story. As long as he doesn't fuck with the script, it should be good...

but is the script any good? as kurosawa said, with a great script even a decent director can make a quite good movie. but without a good script, even a great director has no hope of making anything good. and tim burton is NOT a great director. he's good at creating whole other worlds, but he's just not a very good pure storyteller. i think a good director SHOULD fuck with the script, find out what's wrong with it, change whatever might work on the page but not on the screen, take out some dialogue for information that can be given visually, etc...but i don't think burton has the ability to do this, and frankly i don't think he cares much about the script.

[Guest Mattdotcom]

He should be alright with an established story. As long as he doesn't fuck with the script, it should be good...

Oh, yeah. Not like he's ever took an old movie and updated it and the product was a crapfest.

 

I was looking forward to this until I remembered Planet of the Apes and how much I hated it. And no Walken? This movie...its gonna need a lot more cowbell. I absolutely love Johnny Depp's work, but in a world where Christopher Walken acts, I'd prefer him playing a crazy candy maker.

 

Anyone think they'll even attempt to make Depp look older?

[Guest WrestlingDeacon]

Depp is 40, which makes him older than Gene Wilder was in the original by 2 years. However, Walken is 60 and that might help to play up the "needs to retire really bad" element. Hell, I say let Paul Newman play the part.

[Guest IDrinkRatsMilk]

I'm somewhat surprised by both of their ages.

[Guest MissMattitude]

depp is probably the best young actor working today, with the same emotive power of edward norton or russell crowe and twice the range. even when i saw his unused scenes from 'lost in la mancha' he was golden.

But he's not that young... he's about 40 now.

[Guest Vyce]

I still do not see the need to remake it.

 

That said, Depp might actually be pretty good. If he were to get the role, I would be less afraid that the role would be butchered.

 

I'm all for Walken playing Slugworth though.

[Guest El Satanico]

I still hold on to the hope that Walken gets the part.

 

Also the movie won't be a remake of the first movie. It's a new movie based on the book. We don't call new Hamlet movies remakes do we.

[Guest netslob]

is it gonna be a musical, like th original? i would sell my left nut to see Johnny Depp in a musical!

[Guest Grand Slam]

This project frightens me. To be honest, I generally dislike Burton's work and I am not totally on the Depp bandwagon (of course, I haven't seen Pirates yet...) so I have grave concerns for this movie.

 

Unless the previews and early buzz kick some major ass, there is very little chance I will see this movie.

[Guest godthedog]

'ed wood' should be more than enough to get on the depp bandwagon.

[Guest Vyce]

I still hold on to the hope that Walken gets the part.

 

Also the movie won't be a remake of the first movie. It's a new movie based on the book. We don't call new Hamlet movies remakes do we.

They got it right the first time.

 

No need to do another version of the film OR the book.

[Yuna_Firerose 0]

From: http://www.needcoffee.com/html/reviews/skids.htm

 

Also of note is Alan Cumming, who's Wonka-genius on acid Floop is perfect. In fact, if they ever do find themselves actually going through with a Wonka remake, Cumming's our man.

Couldn't have said it better.

[Guest El Satanico]

Maybe as Willy Wonka Jr., but Alan Cumming is too young looking to play a retiring candymaker.

 

For that matter, Johnny Depp is also too young looking for the part. Depp is older than Wilder was when he played the role, but Wilder looked older.

[Yuna_Firerose 0]

Maybe as Willy Wonka Jr., but Alan Cumming is too young looking to play a retiring candymaker.

Considering he's 38, I'm sure that's a great compliment

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

That guy's almost 40? Holy shit.

[Yuna_Firerose 0]

That guy's almost 40? Holy shit.

Exactly what I said when I found out. He looks at least a decade younger, in my opinion.