A potential sequel to the surprise hit movie Wonka from 2023 could be on the table after a new update from the film's director.
Featuring a cast of A-listers led by Oscar-nominee Timothée Chalamet, Wonka took a new route by showing the never-before-seen origin story of the iconic chocolate maker previously played by Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp.
Garnering strong reactions from critics and fans, it also excelled at the box office by nearly grossing $600 million worldwide, leading fans to wonder if the prequel could eventually move forward into a sequel.
Wonka Director Gives Update on Possible Wonka 2 Sequel
Speaking with ComicBook, Wonka director Paul King addressed the possibility of making Wonka 2 for Warner Bros.
Noting that a sequel is "definitely something [they're] thinking about," King praised Wonka producer David Heyman for his philosophy behind making movies.
He even touched on a saying from Heyman, who King said "doesn't feel the pressure to just make a movie because it can be made:"
"It's definitely something we're thinking about. One of the things I love most about David Heyman, my producer, is that he has made so many great movies that he doesn't feel the pressure to just make a movie because it can be made. He has this great saying which reassures me enormously where he goes, 'We'll have a think, see what we can come up with, and then see if we want to make it,' and it's incredibly liberating, rather than somebody going, 'You are making a film that's coming out in September,' and you're like, 'I don't even have an idea.'"
While Wonka 2 is not guaranteed, King feels it could happen by staying calm and coming up with a full and complete story, noting that there were "50 years between the Gene Wilder movie and [their movie]:"
"Let's just take it for a walk and keep calm, and it was about 50 years between the Gene Wilder movie and our one. We can wait a beat, and if we don't come up with a story, this is a movie with a beginning, a middle, and end that works on its own and if we come up with something that we think can be exciting -- certainly Oompa Loompas feel like there can be a plural oompa loompas. Of course there are some ideas sloshing around, but we don't have a story yet, so we'll see what happens."
[ First Look at Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa In Wonka Movie Revealed (Photo) ]
Will Wonka 2 Become a Reality?
Looking at David Heyman's experience on major projects like Harry Potter and 2023 hit blockbuster Barbie and King's success on the Paddington trilogy, the duo knows what it would take to make a great sequel to Wonka.
On top of that, with Wonka surpassing the box office totals of both 1971's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and 2005's Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Warner Bros. has reason to explore the idea of a sequel financially.
Looking at story details from Wonka, Chalamet's take on the chocolatier is only 22 years old, theoretically leaving plenty of his life still left to explore before he becomes the Willy Wonka fans saw from both Wilder and Depp.
After the original film ended with Willy Wonka reopening his factory following his run-in with the chocolate cartel and opening his mother's gift to find his first golden ticket, Wonka 2 has more than enough possible plot threads to fill in the rest of his story.
Wonka is now available for purchase online, and it will start streaming on Max on Friday, March 8.
