Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Tim Burton To Remake Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

This is topic Tim Burton To Remake Charlie And The Chocolate Factory in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Michael Gonzalez (Member # 593) on 05-23-2003, 04:07 PM:

Tim Burton has been hired by Warner Bros. to direct a remake of the classic film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Gywn Lurie will be writing the new screenplay "from scratch."

The movie will, of course, be based on Roald Dahl's 1964 novel. The story is about "a fantastical world in which a loony chocolatier tempted every child in London with the possibility of finding a golden ticket inside one of his bars. The five lucky winners were then entitled to a visit to his mysterious candy factory, one that would have lifelong repercussions for all involved."

Credit: Variety

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 05-23-2003, 04:28 PM:

From NBC

http://www.nbc4.tv/irresistible/2224539/detail.html

From IMDB

http://us.imdb.com/PeopleNews/#2

Posted by Ken Layton (Member # 133) on 05-23-2003, 05:02 PM:

Why remake a classic?

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 05-23-2003, 08:12 PM:

I remember this idea being trial-balloned a few years ago. Burton was looking into casting Marilyn Manson as Wonka. [Eek!]

I'd like to see Robin Williams as Wonka myself.

-Aaron

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-23-2003, 08:16 PM:

There is a chocolate factory two stop lights from my house so I don't need the movie.....So far I've managed to stay out of the place!
Mark

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 05-24-2003, 12:48 AM:

Hershey factory reject bins... mmmmm!

Robin Williams would make a good Willy Wonka.

Hmmm... maybe Danny DeVito and Verne Troyer can be Umpa Loomas.

Posted by Matthew Nock (Member # 1575) on 05-24-2003, 09:49 AM:

Didnt Danny DeVito start out painted orange anyways?

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 05-24-2003, 04:22 PM:

The rumor is that they're trying to get Jim Carrey for the role of Wonka.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 05-24-2003, 04:41 PM:

Robin Williams would work, although I believe Jim Carrey would be a better player for that role.

Posted by Mathew Molloy (Member # 666) on 05-24-2003, 10:07 PM:

I used to live two blocks from an Almond Roca factory in Tacoma...

Nothing like buckets of mis-wrapped Almond Roca --- [Razz]

Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 05-25-2003, 02:01 AM:

I heard a while back of a Wonka remake with Nicholas Cage as Wonka. [Eek!]

Talk about a disaster!

They should leave this movie alone. No one can touch Gene Wilder! Hollywood needs to take a completely different direction... like come up with ORIGINAL movies! [Smile]

=TMP=

Posted by Michael Brown (Member # 890) on 05-25-2003, 08:27 AM:

*cough*

You know that ORIGINAL Gene Wilder movie was based on a book.

[Big Grin]

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 05-26-2003, 12:14 AM:

There was a movie? [Wink]

Robin Williams would be so much better than Jim Carrey.

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 05-26-2003, 12:41 AM:

just out of curiosity the original post has the title as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Was this an alternate title to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 05-26-2003, 01:26 AM:

Hmmmm... the first book was called 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. The second book was called 'Willy Wonka and the Great Glass Elevator'.

I think they combined the titles when they combined the novels into one film.

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 05-26-2003, 01:33 AM:

Another example of the "new" Film Makers attempting to re-capture to magic of the original. I HATE that! [thumbsdown]

It seems like the current crap of filmmakers (Ooops! I mean "crop") can not think or be creative on their own. There have been too many re-made pics that make me [puke]

This sounds like another! [Mad]

>>> Phil

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-26-2003, 09:33 AM:

Oh c'mon Phil, don't give me that horseshit. We have great classics like The Hulk, X2, T3 and the like. You know full well that Hollywood kicks ass and has lots of original products. I'll see you in line for Matrix 3.

Posted by Don Bruechert (Member # 1538) on 05-26-2003, 10:58 AM:

I thought the original was kinda cool - I saw it when much younger several times. Now I can watch pieces and parts of it in passing, but don't think I could sit through the whole thing again.

I'm not really sure a remake would add anything to this story, but I DO think that Robin Williams is a much better choice for a "kids" move (i.e. Hook) than Jim Carrey. Williams can be a pig, but he has a wide variety of talents and the ability to deliver emotional content, where Carrey is mostly dufusy humor. Even when he (Carrey) tries to deliver serious emotional content you can tell he is "acting", where Williams seems much more genuine.

If this came to the screen and I had to pay money to see it I would probably wait for it to come out on Cable or something.

Posted by Christopher Seo (Member # 7) on 05-26-2003, 12:45 PM:

I liked the original movie well enough, but I thought Gene Wilder was considerably more psychotic and maniacal as Wonka than the book had portrayed. Robin Williams would indeed do better than Jim Carrey and probably better than Gene Wilder as well. But at any rate, the true classic is the book (and all of Roald Dahl's books). Movie adaptations of even children's books never seem to capture the intelligence and maturity behind the story.

Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 05-26-2003, 01:06 PM:

FYI...

Tim Burton has just signed on to the project. There has been no formal casting and all "rumors" are just that.

This will not be a remake, nor will it be a "re-imagining" like his planet of the apes film. He is given explicit authorization from the family estate that controls the novels to write it to his own contention, cast as he sees fit, and direct to his own will. He has full creative control and there will be no studio fudging with the project as that will allow the family estate to pull the project and kill the film.

This will truly be a signature Burton film, even though it already is a classic in Gene Wilder form. Don't count of Robin Williams or Jim Carrey to be cast in the film, as they will likely carry creative controls on the project that would counter the authors family wishes and the creative controls of Tim Burton.

Instead, look for another well known face that is more willing to work for less money, take total creative input from the director, and can fit the role with ease... Perhaps Jude Law?

Dave

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 05-26-2003, 01:25 PM:

Oh, forgot myself there for a minute... that'll mean Johnny Depp as Wonka. And it'll be full of Burton's obsession with darkness and death.

Don, you make a good point about Williams being able to deliver emotionally. That's exactly why I thought he could work... even though I don't care for him personally.

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 05-26-2003, 01:49 PM:

Joe, you're right. I was generalizing and I should have been more specific. There are indeed some very creative and great original films produced in the last decade by Hollywood as well as Foreign films and independents.

I was thinking more along the lines of what I consider lousy remakes of "the original", even though some of those "originals" are based on other films or even remakes themselves:

KING KONG (1933) remade in 1976 ...maybe again in 2005
THE NUTTY PROFESSOR (1963) remade in 1996
THE OUT OF TOWNERS (1970) remade in 1999
POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946) remade in 1981
PSYCHO (1960) remade in 1998
THE BIG SLEEP (1946) remade in 1978

...and many others.

I don't know why I almost always think less of a remake than the original. Maybe it's cuz I'm "used to" the original. In some cases, it seems the remake tries too hard to be "up-to-date" in language/swearing/technology and it just doesn't play well to me.

The only remake that I liked that come to mind is THE BIRDCAGE which I thought was better than the original LA CAGE AUX FOLLES.

>>> Phil

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 05-26-2003, 03:12 PM:

quote:
And it'll be full of Burton's obsession with darkness and death.

Which gives perfect validity to Burton's original first choice for the role of Wonka... Marilyn Manson. and all of the colorful wonder of the factory will look more like the Haunted Mansion... [Frown]

-Aaron

Posted by Ken Layton (Member # 133) on 05-26-2003, 06:23 PM:

Oh great.... Willy Wonka Meets Beetlejuice! [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Dan Lyons (Member # 1454) on 05-26-2003, 06:59 PM:

Phil wrote:

quote:
I was thinking more along the lines of what I consider lousy remakes of "the original", even though some of those "originals" are based on other films or even remakes themselves:

KING KONG (1933) remade in 1976 ...maybe again in 2005
THE NUTTY PROFESSOR (1963) remade in 1996
THE OUT OF TOWNERS (1970) remade in 1999
POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946) remade in 1981
PSYCHO (1960) remade in 1998
THE BIG SLEEP (1946) remade in 1978

...and many others.

Let's not forgot the 1976 version of "A Star is Born"! [Wink]

I think I'm the only person in the world that actually likes Barbra's version. [thumbsup]

The songs are great; but that's really the only good part about it!

Danny

Posted by Michael Gonzalez (Member # 593) on 07-26-2003, 10:01 PM:

Tim Reed wrote:

---------------------------------------------------------------
"Oh, forgot myself there for a minute... that'll mean Johnny Depp as Wonka. And it'll be full of Burton's obsession with darkness and death."
---------------------------------------------------------------

Johnny Depp Leading Candidate To Play Willy Wonka

Pirates of the Caribbean star frontrunner for remake...

Johnny Depp is the leading candidate to play Willy Wonka in the upcoming remake of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Tim Burton will be directing the remake which will be titled Charlie & The Chocolate Factory.

Credit: Variety

Well Tim it appears that you may be correct [Big Grin]

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 07-26-2003, 11:06 PM:

Hey, Michael! What do ya know about that? I guess you can judge a book by its cover. [Wink]

Posted by Robb Johnston (Member # 239) on 07-27-2003, 12:54 PM:

Daryl,

I don't think that the movie was a combination of the 2 books. If I recall, Great Glass Elevator begins with the Elevator landing at Charlie's house and recounts the adventures that Wonka, charlie and his whole family experience, including a visit to the land where the Oompa Loompas come from. I think there was even a run in with a Voracious Knid, or whatever it was called. It has been at least 15-18 years since I read it.

They just thought that Willie Wonka made for a better title than Charlie . . .