Looks like Warner Bros. has found a golden ticket. The studio has acquired the rights to the Willy Wonka IP from the Roald Dahl estate and is planning on a new film about the eccentric chocolatier, The Hollywood Reporter said.
Producer David Heyman, who recently worked with the studio on the Harry Potter spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, will be the driving force behind the project. Michael Siegel — the manager of the Dahl estate — also will produce, with Kevin McCormick executive producing.
Man Seeking Woman creator Simon Rich, who also is a Saturday Night Live alum, will pen the project, which will be a stand-alone movie focusing on Wonka and his earlier, pre-Charlie adventures.
The late Gene Wilder famously portrayed Wonka in 1971's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, while Johnny Depp donned the top hat for Tim Burton's 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.