Paddington director 'in talks' for new Wonka film

Warner Bros. is in talks with Paul King, the director of the two “Paddington” films, to take on a new adaptation of “Willy Wonka”, based on Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, according to Variety magazine.

The project is being produced by David Heyman, who also worked on “Paddington” and the Harry Potter films, and the script is being written by Simon Rich, according to the article.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, first published in 1964 and illustrated by Quentin Blake, is about a boy who wins a golden ticket to visit Willy Wonka’s factory. Last year it topped a CILIP poll of the UK’s favourite children’s books and has sold more than 990,000 copies in all editions through Nielsen BookScan.

There have been two previous film adaptations: “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, directed by Mel Stuart, in 1971; and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, directed by Tim Burton, in 2005.

Penguin Random House Children's has been contacted for comment.