Timothée Chalamet understands worries Wonka could be a "cynical money grab" but one thing immediately changed his mind

Timothée Chalamet understands the skepticism around remakes – but he assures fans of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory that his new prequel movie Wonka is a story worth telling. 

"Like many people, when there are remakes, I feel very protective over the original character and versions you love," Chalamet tells GamesRadar+ when we sit down with him and Wonka co-star Calah Lane at a central London hotel. 

"Your eyebrows go up with skepticism about [whether] this is a legitimate, worthwhile story or a cynical money grab. But I was reading the first three pages of the script, and the song 'Hat Full of Dreams' was in there," he continues, referring to the movie's opening musical number. "And there was no music to accompany it, but the lyrics were so clever. [It's] about this young Willy, who was definitively not the crazy, cynical, kind of jaded, brain-fried version that we see in the two prior films but was very hopeful, young, ambitious, won't-take-no-for-an-answer, maybe a little naive. I think that's very clever."

Although his viral high school musical videos may suggest otherwise, Chalamet admits that he wasn't actively looking for an all-singing, all-dancing role before Wonka came along. "I love musical theatre and I love song and dance," he says. "And I love old Fred Astaire movies and the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder. I didn't think I'd get a chance to do it, not like this. But Paul King is one of these directors that you don't say no to."

Wonka arrives in UK cinemas on December 8, before releasing in the US on December 15. In the meantime, check out our guide to the rest of the biggest upcoming movies on the way in 2023 and beyond. 

For more on Wonka, check out our interviews with the movie's villain Olivia Colman and director Paul King, and keep your eyes peeled for more chats with the cast on the Inside Total Film podcast later in the week.