Willy Wonka is in the business of treats, and Warner Bros. took a cue from the candyman for its 2022 CinemaCon presentation — showing a trailer for Timothée Chalamet’s new film some 20 months away from its official release.
The annual convention of movie theater owners got a nearly two-minute look at the prequel — which imagines the lead character of Roald Dahl’s classic novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” as a young man looking to build his empire.
Though iconically portrayed as a quirky (bordering on perverse) magnate by Gene Wilder, Chalamet stakes his own claim at the iconic brown velvet top hot worn by Wonka. Busking chocolate truffles in the street as police and clergymen seemingly try to run him out of town, Chalamet is earnest and charming in his mission to spread joy (and, perhaps, go on to retail domination).
Olivia Colman, Rowan Atkinson, Keegan-Michael Key, Sally Hawkins and more all crop up around several song-and-dance numbers led by Chalamet — who deftly tap dances on a cafe tabletop and leads a chorus of umbrella-wielding dancers spelling out his character’s name.
There’s even an appearance by a golden ticket — written on it is a note from Wonka’s mother, reminding him that the best part of eating sweets is sharing it with those you love. In the trailer’s final moments, a few bars of a ballad play, featuring Chalamet’s sweet voice singing about “an invisible thread” that connects us all.
The only sour note from the CinemaCon floor? Audiences will have to wait until Christmas 2023 to catch “Wonka” in action.