Support NeoGAF

[Willco]

You can read the whole thing here...

While Depp and his director, Tim Burton, wait to see whether the high-tech magic of their version can top the primitive charm of the old film, the original star has been politely evasive about this challenge to his long-standing position as a childhood icon.

But the gloves came off last week when I sat down with Wilder at his home in Connecticut and asked him directly whether he likes the idea of Depp taking his crown.

His usual sunny expression clouds over and he throws his hands up. "It's all about money," he says. "It's just some people sitting around thinking: 'How can we make some more money?' Why else would you remake Willy Wonka? I don't see the point of going back and doing it all over again.

"I like Johnny Depp, and I appreciate that he has said on the record that my shoes would be hard to fill. But I don't know how it will all turn out. Right now, the only thing that does take some of the edge off this for me is that Willy Wonka's name isn't in the title."

 

[Matlock]

It's a new translation of the book, not a remake.

 

[Guileless]

I admire Burton's ambition, but really nothing good can come of this. Or, there's like a 1 in a million chance of something good coming of this.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Gene Wilder sounds like he isn't aware that a book exists.

 

[Sapiens]

Good read. Hard not to agree with the guy.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will not have the longevity the original Willie Wonka has. I don't care how good it might be (it won't be good).

 

[Escape Goat]

Gene Wilder sounds like he isn't aware that a book exists.

He seems to see it as if they were writing another book. A movie has been done and quite successfully.

 

[Flynn]

He seems to see it as if they were writing another book. A movie has been done and quite successfully.

The point is, that if Wilder is so concerned about doing original work, he wouldn't have starred in an adaptation of a book. His position is a tad hypocritical.

 

[Escape Goat]

The point is, that if Wilder is so concerned about doing original work, he wouldn't have starred in an adaptation of a book. His position is a tad hypocritical.

Its the same story but in different media. I dont see it as being hypocritical at all.

 

[GaimeGuy]

Well you don't see 100000 different movies based on To Kill A Mockingbird, or Mary Poppins, or every Lord of the Rings book, right?

Don't you think it would be stupid to have multiple movies as adaptations of the same book? :/ I sure do. It's exactly what I thought when I heard they were making Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. There's no point. There's already a classic movie adaptation of the book done, and this is nothing more than a cheap cash in.

 

[Particle Physicist]

wow..

wilder looks pretty bad::

 

[xsarien]

I'm fine with multiple movies with the same source material provided that one condition is met:

That the director and screenwriter are taking a novel, different approach to the original work, or deviate from the previous adaptation. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory isn't going to be a retread of Wilder's movie; there's every indication that it's a darker story, and possibly closer to the book than the original.

But maybe Gene's just upset that he didn't get asked to do a cameo. But I'll also come out and say that I'm probably in the very, very tiny minority of people who don't hold the 70s Wonka movie in any special regard. I saw it many times during my childhood, and I don't recall ever being too infatuated with it.

 

[temp]

wow..

wilder looks pretty bad::

It's like if they took prime Wilder, partially shaved him, and then let his body bloat in the water over a few days.

 

[Dan]

wow..

wilder looks pretty bad::

Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, chemotherapy and a stem-cell transplant will do that, especially when combined with age.

 

[kgHavok23]

wow..

wilder looks pretty bad::

sad

 

[RedDwarf]

I'm fine with multiple movies with the same source material provided that one condition is met:

That the director and screenwriter are taking a novel, different approach to the original work. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory isn't going to be a retread of Wilder's movie; there's every indication that it's a darker story, and possibly closer to the book than the original.

Exactly. The original wasn't exactly faithful to the book.

 

[Schmo Florez]

Wow there's a lot of hate for this movie floatin around. Good thing tho. If general expectations are low then it shouldn't turn out that bad right?

 

[Justin Bailey]

Wow there's a lot of hate for this movie floatin around. Good thing tho. If general expectations are low then it shouldn't turn out that bad right?

Or people decide they hate it before they even see it, ala Star Wars.

But seriously, I don't think it's going to be good.

 

[StoOgE]

Meh, I hope it does well and they make the Great Glass Elevator into a movie, I liked that book better as a kid.

 

[Particle Physicist]

Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, chemotherapy and a stem-cell transplant will do that, especially when combined with age.

yeah, i knew he was having health issues.. its just a bit shocking to see how its visually affected him.

 

[Willco]

Meh, I hope it does well and they make the Great Glass Elevator into a movie, I liked that book better as a kid.

Bingo!

 

[krypt0nian]

After that last preview, I agree with him.

I'm supposed to like this...I am a total Depp mark, but this movie looks so broken.

 

[GhaleonEB]

wow..

wilder looks pretty bad::

He's 72 years old. Cut him some slack.

 

[Socreges]

I've seen a couple very recent interviews of Gene Wilder. Both times he wore a light-blue hoodie, like the one in the picture. Strange. He still has his mind, so far as I can tell. Very soft-spoken and genuine. As for how he LOOKS, it's really just the hair. He doesn't seem to be too concerned, so whatever.

 

[Particle Physicist]

He's 72 years old. Cut him some slack.

http://ga-forum.com/showpost.php?p=1473353&postcount=19

 

[drohne]

for some reason i assumed gene wilder was dead. good for him. being alive and all.

and yeah, i recently saw willy wonka and the chocolate factory on hbo, and it really is definitive. i'm sure it deviates in any number of ways from the book, but it's just so perfectly weird and amazing that it'll be impossible to follow. wilder's wonka is great.

 

[N Coward Parody]

His bitterness may stem from the fact that, not one, but two films he originally starred in are getting big budget remakes in 2005. Ouch.


*Noel Coward Parody

 

[Particle Physicist]

His bitterness may stem from the fact that, not one, but two films he originally starred in are getting big budget remakes in 2005. Ouch.


*Noel Coward Parody

what other movie is getting remade?


*Jonathan Quadriple Gic

 

[Matlock]

The Producers


*Benjamin L. Matlock

 

[xsarien]

what other movie is getting remade?

The Producers.

 

[Flynn]

Its the same story but in different media. I dont see it as being hypocritical at all.

Adapting books to film is just as creatively bankrupt as remaking movies, its just that we've grown so accustomed to movies based on books that we've not only become desensitized to it, but we've come to view the practice as beneficial.

Great books are great because they take full advantage of their medium. The best books are the kind that take such great advantage of the written word that they can never be fully expressed any other way. The same goes for great comic books, poems, novellas, and whatever. They not only trancend their form, but help define the form. These creations are remembered and revered because they realize their form to its greatest potential.

Once that's been accomplished, the rest is just cashing in on the former's success.

 

[SickBoy]

Meh, I hope it does well and they make the Great Glass Elevator into a movie, I liked that book better as a kid.

I loved both as a kid, but I re-read both a few years back and I have to say to my adult sensibilities, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is far better (and still enjoyable today)

Regarding Wilder, he's more than entitled to his opinion: his version of the Wonka depicted in "Willy Wonka" was excellent. But I think it's somewhat strange Roald Dahl supposedly wasn't happy with the original movie, which Wilder seems to think should be definitive:

Roald Dahl was reportedly so angry with the treatment of his book (mainly stemming from the massive rewrite by David Seltzer) that he refused permission for the book's sequel, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, to be filmed. Seltzer had an idea for a new sequel, but legal issues meant that it never got off the ground.

(from IMDB trivia, so take with a grain of salt if you must -- hardly an infallible source)

On the new version being darker, again take this comment from IMDB for what it may or may not be worth:

Screenwriter John August had never even seen Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) when asked by Tim Burton to write the script. After finishing the screenplay, he finally watched the 1971 version, only to be surprised at how much darker the "family" film was to his own.

 

[FortNinety]

I consider myself a pretty big Wilder fan, hence why its so dissapointing to hear that he's become another one of those old bitter actor types. Guess its par for the course.

 

[android]

The Producers.

They better not touch Young Frankenstein, Spaceballs or Blazing Saddles or Mongo will have to punch another horse.

 

[Belfast]

Well you don't see 100000 different movies based on To Kill A Mockingbird, or Mary Poppins, or every Lord of the Rings book, right?

Don't you think it would be stupid to have multiple movies as adaptations of the same book? :/ I sure do. It's exactly what I thought when I heard they were making Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. There's no point. There's already a classic movie adaptation of the book done, and this is nothing more than a cheap cash in.

There have been MANY multiple adaptations of classic literature. Shakespeare plays, the old horror films (i.e. Dracula, Frankenstein, etc.). Even Lord of the Rings has been done a couple times if you count the animated version and such.

 

[shantyman]

Spounds like:

Guileless, wht would it be bad? It's not a musical (which is how it should be), and it promises to be closer to the book. I love the book but never liked the movie. It was too different.

 

[AniHawk]

I've seen a couple very recent interviews of Gene Wilder. Both times he wore a light-blue hoodie, like the one in the picture. Strange. He still has his mind, so far as I can tell. Very soft-spoken and genuine. As for how he LOOKS, it's really just the hair. He doesn't seem to be too concerned, so whatever.

Yeah, I saw him on Conan like that recently.

As far as the new movie goes... well I think Wilder will be irreplaceable. I mean, his Wonka is a classic character. Hopefully Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a good film, but these previews haven't been very encouraging.

 

[Lonestar]

Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, chemotherapy and a stem-cell transplant will do that, especially when combined with age.

Wow, uncanny. That's what my Dad has just gone through. Though, he looks a little better off, but he is 13-15 years younger. Funny that the transplant takes like...20 minutes to finish, but costs out the ass!

 

[Bregor]

I'm glad that a new version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is being made. The original was very disappointing.

 

[Tritroid]

Frankly I think this retelling will do greater justice to the book than the original movie did.

The original took so many liberties it was disgusting. First of all it was a musical, which I always thought was the worst decision for a story like this, and they added at scene where Charlie actually gave in to temptation inside the factory and almost met the same fate as the others, WHICH DESTROYS THE ENTIRE POINT OF CHARLIE INHERITING THE FACTORY.

So yes, Burton's movie will be a true represenation of what Dahl created.

 

[mrklaw]

Wilder will probably remain my favourite Wonka, simply because thats the one I saw when I was small.

But its a little churlish to suggest that it will be the best version when this one isn't out yet.

Allow today's kids to form their own opinions. If all this movie does is get kids reading Roald Dahl, its worth it.

 

[slayn]

book -> movie is different because it completey changes the medium. The best part of watching a movie? no reading =P

but I'm generally annoyed by remakes of movies unless the two are going to be so completely different as per lord of the rings.

really, the only interest I have in this new version comes from the fact that it's burton and depp. If not for those two, I'd probably be making fun of the movie.

 

[slayn]

after watching the trailer, I really don't like depp's character as opposed to wilders.


As for the reason wilder is mad, I would think it's because he could be losing his immortality. If only his version existed, everyone would remember wilder's wonka character. But if a new version exists, all the children of this generation will remember depp instead of possibly being shown the original version.

 

[DDayton]

As for the reason wilder is mad, I would think it's because he could be losing his immortality. If only his version existed, everyone would remember wilder's wonka character. But if a new version exists, all the children of this generation will remember depp instead of possibly being shown the original version.

I have this weird feeling that Depp's version won't last.

 

[DarienA]

Gene Wilder: Hater


Such a disappointment.

 

[ohamsie]

Why didn't they just make The BFG, or the Twits?

 

[bridegur]

Somebody does need to make a BFG movie.

 

[swoon]

the idea that the orginal willy wonka is good is pretty foolish. wilder is the only thing that movie has going for it and he is sleepwalking through the movie most of the time

 

[Justin Bailey]

Uh... what? People hated Star Wars for exactly the opposite reason.

I meant to say episode 3.

 

[Alucard]

Gene Wilder was totally something else in Willy Wonka. There is no way Depp's performance will be as memorable, but I'm still looking forward to seeing the flick.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Gene Wilder was totally something else in Willy Wonka. There is no way Depp's performance will be as memorable, but I'm still looking forward to seeing the flick.

The best thing Depp could do is to re-create the character from scratch. If he tries to imitate Wilder at all it will fail instantly. I'm a big fan of Depp, so I think he's up to it. I have less faith in Burton.