Ryan Gosling Tipped To Play A Young Willy Wonka In New Prequel Film

Ryan Gosling Tipped To Play A Young Willy Wonka In New Prequel Film

Ryan Gosling is being tipped to take on an iconic role, with reports claiming he will play Willy Wonka in an all-new prequel film.

Hollywood execs are currently looking to find an actor to take on the part, which was first made famous by the great Gene Wilder, and it seems Ryan is on their shortlist.

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Ryan Gosling
Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Website That Hashtag Show claims Ryan himself expressed an interest in playing the chocolate factory owner and it looks as though Warner Bros, who are making the movie, may well have been listening.

The movie has been in the works since late 2016 and in October of last year Variety revealed that ’Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ producer David Heyman will be in charge of the project.

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Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka
Silver Screen Collection via Getty Images

The website also reported that the as-yet-untitled film will chart Wonka’s early adventures, which took place in the years before he founded his empire.

While Warner Bros are still in the casting stages for this project, Disney and Lucasfilm’s Han Solo prequel is currently being filmed, though it hasn’t been without its hiccups.

Last month, directing duo Chris Miller and Phil Lord stepped down and were replaced with Hollywood heavyweight Ron Howard, amid rumours that lead star Alden Ehrenreich is having acting lessons.

Film Remakes We Love To Hate
The Stepford Wives (2004)(01 of12)
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Essentially everyone involved in this remake has since distanced themselves from it, including both Nicole Kidman and Matthew Broderick, while Frank Oz admitted he “f***ed up” with ‘The Stepford Wives’, which was marred by rumours of on-set fighting and several rewrites during production. (credit:Snap Stills/REX)
Planet Of The Apes (2001)(02 of12)
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This bizarre shot of an ape superimposed on the Lincoln Memorial probably tells you everything you need to know, really. (credit:20th Century Fox)
Swept Away (2002)(03 of12)
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Often billed as not just one of the worst remakes, but one of the worst films ever, ‘Swept Away’ is truly a low for both Madonna and her then-husband Guy Ritchie, scooping an arguably impressive (depending on how you look it) five Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Film, Worst Screen Couple and Worst Director. (credit:Screen Gems/Everett/REX)
Alfie (2004)(04 of12)
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Seriously, Jude Law. What *was* it all about? (credit:Nils Jorgensen/REX)
Annie (2014)(05 of12)
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Despite an all-star cast and the backing of Jay-Z and Will Smith, ‘Annie’ was savaged by critics, with Entertainment Weekly branding the soundtrack an ‘AutoTuned disaster’, although Quvenzhané Wallis was largely praised for her performance. (credit:Columbia Pictures)
The Pink Panther (2006)(06 of12)
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This remake received mostly negative reviews upon its release and was deemed a rare misfire for Steve Martin, but that didn’t stop a sequel coming out - which was, of course, panned even more. (credit:Col Pics/Everett/REX)
The Wicker Man (2006)(07 of12)
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While the original film is hailed as one of the scariest horrors ever, the Nicolas Cage remake is more commonly associated with the comedy genre… though we’re not sure that’s quite what the filmmakers had in mind. (credit:Snap Stills/Rex)
A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)(08 of12)
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A remake so irrelevant we didn’t actually realise it existed… most reviews of ‘A Nightmare On Elm Street’ praised the newly-updated special effects, but claimed the remake couldn’t live up to its predecessor from the 1980s. (credit:Moviestore/Rex)
The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008)(09 of12)
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Heavily criticised for relying on style over substance, reviewers praised the special effects of the film, but felt that without much of a story to hold things together, it wasn’t a worthy successor to the 1950s original. (credit:Snap Stills/Rex)
House Of Wax (2005)(10 of12)
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A film best known for the ‘See Paris Die!’ campaign that preceded its releasing, referring to its star, Paris Hilton. Well, at least that was a distraction from the film itself... (credit:Warner Br/Everett/REX)
The Karate Kid (2010)(11 of12)
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When even the presence of God-amongst-men Jaden Smith can’t save your film, you know you’re doomed. (credit:Col Pics/Everett/REX)
Psycho (1998)(12 of12)
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Even director Gus Van Sant admitted, shortly after Psycho’s release, that the shot-for-shot remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic had been an “experiment”, which proved that no one can copy a film in exactly the same way as the original. (credit:Universal/Everett/REX)