9 Ways A Willy Wonka Origin Story Could Add To The Current Story

9 Ways A Willy Wonka Origin Story Could Add To The Current Story

The character might have been parodied to death, but Willy Wonka has only been portrayed on the big screen twice in the past 50 years. However, that’s all about to change, as it has recently been announced that a Willy Wonka origins movie has been thrown into production after being in development since 2016.

The movie will star Timothee Chalamet as the chocolatier, and it has a release date set for 2023. That’s all of the information that has been revealed so far, leaving so much confusion and anticipation for more details among fans. Given that there are so many facts about the character in the book that Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory leaves out, there’s so much to be explored in the origins film.

His Meeting With The Oompa-Loompas

9 Ways A Willy Wonka Origin Story Could Add To The Current Story

Though there was a very short flashback scene that explained how Willy Wonka met the Oompa-Loompas in the 2005 remake, it wasn’t exactly the most satisfying explanation.

The movie could build on the mythology of how he came to meet the Loompas, and especially how they came to be so loyal to the chocolatier. The remake explains that Wonka pays them in coffee beans, which doesn’t quite add up. Given that they were originally depicted as African Pygmies in the novel, it’ll be interesting to see how they’re depicted in the new series.

His Relationship With His Family

Willy Wonka, the children, and their parents stand on a staircase overlooking the chocolate river in Willy Wonka and the chocolate Factory

Being another point that was briefly touched on in the remake, as the chocolatier’s father was an evil dentist, the brief origin story didn’t quite hit the spot. But, that could all be retconned in the prequel movie. The relationship Wonka has with his family must be important, as the character clearly became as strange as he is and got the weird sense of fashion that he has somehow.

Maybe his love of theatrics stems from not getting any attention as a child, or his clothes were hand-me-downs from a relative. Regardless of what his relationship with his family is, it’s something the should be explored in an origins story.

Why He Likes Candy So Much

Oompa Loompas sing at the Chocolate River in Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory

Most people love chocolate, and, though some have more of a sweet tooth than others, nobody is more obsessive about candy than Willy Wonka. Though everyone has hobbies and interests that make them who they are, Willy Wonka’s passion for confectionery is on another level.

Fans need to see what led the character to have a vice-like candy instead of smoking or drinking, as maybe it’s a coping mechanism for some deep, underlying issue. Though that seems dark, the first movie was so tonally dark that there’s even a theory that Willy Wonka is actually a serial killer.

Building The Factory And His Empire

Willy Wonka enters The Chocolate Room in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The chocolate factory is Willy Wonka’s baby, as he knows every nook and cranny of the giant building. It’s a wonderful fantasy-like place,  but it also raises so many questions.

Did Wonka build it himself? Did he get contractors in? Did he force the Oompa-Loompas to put it together? However, with there being so many fantastical elements of the place, whether it’s the chocolate lake or the Fizzy Lifting Drinks Room, going through the rigmarole of building the place would actually be fascinating.

Why The Oompa-Loompas Are So Musical

Oompa Loompas Singing And Rolling Violet - Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory

Along with how he ended up meeting the Oompa Loompas, there must be some kind of story behind why they are so musical. Between being cannibals and being from a different universe, there are tons of theories surrounding the characters, but nobody has ever questioned why they sing so much.

With both of the movies being oriented around musical numbers, the idea of new songs is so exciting, whether it’s the sing-a-long songs of the original movie or something completely fresh.

What Inspired Each Invention

Oompa Loompas Singing In The Wonka Vision Room in Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory

Maybe, in a Slumdog Millionaire-like way, the movie could flashback to different periods in his life that influenced him to make certain products. Whether it’s something as simple as the everlasting gobstopper or the chocolate bar that can be transmitted through Wonkavision, there must be an in-depth story about each one. On top of that, the mysteries behind the technology he’s seen using must be answered, as it’s too fantastically to simply brush aside.

The Different Portrayals Of The Character

The original Gene Wilder movie is a classic, and, though it isn’t the most acclaimed movie in the world, Johnny Depp’s portrayal of the character had his own iconic look.

With the movie being an origins story, it isn’t actually clear if it’s a prequel to Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory or Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, and it could even stand its own, being completely unrelated to either of them. As if there weren’t enough fan theories about the character, a brand new portrayal completely different from anything that has come before it would be a field day for the theorists of Reddit.

How He Amassed His Fortune

Willy Wonka Singing Pure Imagination - Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory

Being yet another mystery about the character, he couldn’t have built the factory without being supremely wealthy. It’s not like he could get a bank loan for a magical chocolate factory, and he doesn’t exactly strike viewers as the gambling type.

How exactly did he get the money to build his empire? Maybe he’s an expert poker player or maybe he invested in Bitcoin when it was worth just $5. It’s something that remains unanswered, and one of the few mysteries that Tim Burton didn’t even attempt to tackle in the remake.

A Potential Glimpse At The Future

Charlie and Willy Wonka fly away in the glass elevator in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Just because it’s a prequel doesn’t mean it can’t jump to the future. There was never a sequel to the original movie, even though it would have been great to see Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator with the original cast. But, with the announced prequel, it could be the very chance to bring that novel to the big screen.

The movie could do it in a Better Call Saul-type way, as the prequel to Breaking Bad brilliantly shows what happened to Saul after the events of the show in short flash-forwards.