Timothee Chalamet Shows Off First Look of Himself as Young Wonka

Timothee Chalamet is set to douse himself in chocolate and meet Oompa Loompas — he’s playing Willy Wonka in his early days, and showing off his new look … which is … cool???

The actor just posted a photo of himself on set for this new flick he’s been cast in … simply titled, “Wonka,” which is basically a prequel to “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” Of course, that means we’re gonna see a young Bill … and Tim’s giving us the first glimpse.

It shows TC in costume, wearing a Wonka-esque burgundy coat, scarf and a brown top hot. A second photo features him reaching for a tiny little present. Tim’s caption reads, “The suspense is terrible, I hope it will last …”

He’s staring slyly … kinda mischievous-like, which is also pretty Wonka-y. It also seems he’ll be rocking his signature long, wavy locks — so this is certainly more in the vain of Gene Wilder‘s turn as the titular character than Johnny Depp‘s … which was its own animal.

Of course … you have to respect that Depp’s/Tim Burton’s take was totally different — both in appearance and expression of the famed Roald Dahl character. Gene’s depiction is the OG, obviously, but we must say … the 2021 portrayal, at least thus far, seems a little … plain.

That’s not to say it won’t be good by any stretch — it’ll probably be solid, considering there’ll reportedly be a ton of dance and musical numbers … for which Tim trained. Plus, the guy’s got chops … even though this will be a new role for him unlike any other he’s taken on.

Most of his movie parts up until now have been dramatic and relatively low-key (ish) — and he hasn’t had an opportunity to get zany or off the wall … which you’d think he certainly will have to be here. Gene did it to perfection, Depp held his own — now, Tim’s up to bat.

Word is … Warner Bros. (which also distributed the Burton flick) has had Timmy in mind for this project for a while, and finally locked him down after a lot of scheduling issues. So, they obviously see something in him.