When is the Wonka prequel released as Timothee Chalamet shares photo of himself in the role?

The countdown is on (Picture: Splash news / Warner Bros/tchalamet)

Timothee Chalamet has unveiled the first peak of himself as Willy Wonka as filming gets underway for the highly anticipated sequel – but we’ve got a while to wait.

The 25-year-old actor will take on the iconic role, famously played by Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp in the past, as upcoming movie Wonka gives a deeper look into Road Dahl’s fictional chocolatier’s history.

The film, which is obviously based on the character from Dahl’s 1964 book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, started shooting on Sunday in Dorset, with Chalamet certainly looking the part in Wonka’s trademark purple velvet overcoat and brown top hat.

Over the weekend, he was snapped walking along the top of the Cobb harbour wall with a suitcase in hand, and the area itself was covered in fake snow.

While we’re all very excited for the musical fantasy flick, the bad news is a release date is still a long way off.

At the moment, the movie – which is being directed by Paul King from a script he co-wrote with Simon Darnaby – is set to drop on March 17, 2023.

He certainly looks the part (Picture: Dean / SplashNews.com)

He gave everyone a peak over the weekend (Picture: Warner Bros)

Not much is known about the plot, but we do know it’ll follow Wonka’s adventures before he opened up the world’s most famous chocolate factory.

It’s boasting an all-star cast too, with the likes of Keegan, Michael Key, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Colman, Matt Lucas and more all joining the fun.

Meanwhile, music will come from The Divine Comedy singer Neil Hannon as he’s been tasked with writing original songs for the film.

He was carrying a suitcase as he donned the famous costume (Picture: Click News & Media / Dean / SplashNews.com)

Going on an adventure (Picture: Graham Hunt/BNPS)

Timothee casually blessed our timelines over the weekend with an official photo of himself donning Wonka’s classic purple velvet coat and a brown top hat with snowflakes falling around him as he stares intently into the distance. 

‘The suspense is terrible, I hope it will last … 🏭WONKA🍫,’ he cheekily captioned the snap, quoting Wonka’s classic line from the 1971 instalment Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. 

He certainly has big shoes to fill with the late Gene Wilder first playing the part in the beloved 1971 movie, while Depp took on the role in 2005.

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The film is a co-production between Warner Bros – its third adaptation of the story, having also been responsible for Tim Burton’s 2005 take with Depp – and The Roald Dahl Story Co., so it should be set to follow more in the spirit of Dahl’s original characters than in the 1970s.

Timothee had reportedly been top choice for the part for a while but scheduling conflicts – including the intense prep time needed for a musical – had been an issue.

It’s a busy year for the Oscar-nominated actor, as he’s playing the lead in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune adaptation and is part of a star-studded cast – including Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray and Frances McDormand – for Wes Anderson’s French Dispatch.

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