Wonka director says he had Timothée Chalamet in mind for the role before the script was even finished

Wonka director Paul King thinks Timothée Chalamet is "a bit of a genius" – and reveals he had the actor in mind for the role before the ink was dry on the script. 

"There’s little moments where we want to go: this is like a companion piece. "We can just about see how this person grows into an older Gene Wilder," King tells SFX magazine in the new issue, which features Doctor Who on the cover. "But equally, I think Timmy is such an original thinker and an actor himself, in a way you have to let that go and build your own thing. And luckily, he’s a bit of a genius. So he built something rather special."

He continues: "Then in everything I saw him in after [Call Me By Your Name], I just thought he was so extraordinary. By the time we drafted the script together, it had really just become him in my head. He’s so funny in Lady Bird. He’s also very good at being a stupid character as that sort of ridiculous fool. But he’s also completely emotionally present. He can really do it all." 

King's Willy Wonka origin story – which also sees Chalamet show off his singing and dancing skills – introduces us to Roald Dahl's legendary chocolate maker long before he's the proprietor of the infamous factory. New in town and with nothing but some esoteric chocolate ingredients to his name, the movie sees Willy team up with a ragtag bunch of new pals to take down the malicious chocolate cartel and make a name for himself. 

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Wonka releases on December 8 in the UK and December 15 in the US. The above is just a snippet from our interview with King, available in the latest issue of SFX magazine, which features Doctor Who on the cover and is available on newsstands from Friday, December 1. For even more from SFX, sign up for the newsletter, sending all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.