The director of Wonka insists the origin story of Roald Dahl’s chocolatier Willy Wonka isn’t a musical, but there is plenty of song and dance throughout.
“The Oompa Loompas sing a lot in the book, and Dahl always uses poetry. But I didn’t want it to just become a musical where people are singing dialogue to each other for no discernible reason. I felt like it was more like a movie with songs than a musical,” Paul King told Total Film Magazine.
While Gene Wilder serenaded fans in the original 1971 film, Timothée Chalamet will get his chance to show off his voice when Wonka hits theaters in December.
Like Wilder, Chalamet isn’t particularly known for his singing, though he has previously showed off his talents on Saturday Night Live.
“[He’s] got a beautiful singing voice. The person it reminded me of was Bing Crosby,” King said.
Although we haven’t heard Chalamet sing as Wonka yet, King insists the Dune star reminds him of the legendary crooner.
“There’s quite a range, because it does go from a couple of bigger, showstopper-y sort of things, to moments of real, pure emotion and he can do it all… I’m going to sound like a crazed fan.”
If you enjoyed this story, you might like reading how Bing Crosby became the king of Christmas.
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