Willy Wonka is back. Or at least, the gears are finally turning to get him back on the big screen. After the 2023 prequel Wonka raked in over $634 million globally, a sequel wasn't just likely—it was inevitable. But if you’ve been looking for a release date and seeing a bunch of conflicting "leaks," you aren't alone. Honestly, the internet is currently a mess of rumors about where Timothée Chalamet is headed next in that purple velvet coat.
Basically, here is the deal: Wonka 2 is officially in development. Paul King, the director who gave us those two perfect Paddington movies before taking on the chocolate maker, confirmed it himself. He’s been out on red carpets lately—specifically for Paddington in Peru—dropping breadcrumbs about the script.
The Wonka 2 Release Date Rumors vs. Reality
You've probably seen a few TikToks or fan posters claiming the movie is coming out this Christmas. It isn't.
Right now, we are looking at a much longer wait. In late 2024, Paul King admitted they only had about "half a draft" of the script finished. Movies of this scale, especially musicals with massive CGI set pieces and choreographed numbers, take forever to build. If they are just finishing the script now in early 2026, we are likely looking at a late 2027 or even 2028 release.
Warner Bros. did carve out a slot for an "Untitled Family Sequel" in December 2027. For a while, everyone assumed that was our date. However, industry insiders later suggested that slot might belong to other projects like the Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hunt for Gollum.
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The reality? Warner Bros. is keeping the exact date under lock and key. They want to make sure Timothée Chalamet’s schedule is clear, and between Dune: Messiah and his various indie projects, he's a busy man.
What is the New Willy Wonka Movie Actually About?
The first film ended with Willy and Lofty (Hugh Grant's Oompa-Loompa) looking out over the site of the future factory. It felt like a closed loop, but King has hinted that there’s a whole lot of Roald Dahl’s "un-published" material he wants to dig into.
- International Travel: King mentioned he wants to take Willy on a globe-trotting adventure.
- The Oompa-Loompa Connection: We still don't really know how the rest of the Oompa-Loompas ended up at the factory.
- The Great Glass Elevator: While the 2023 movie was a prequel, there is a lot of weird, psychedelic space-travel stuff in Dahl’s sequel book that hasn't been properly adapted in decades.
One thing is for sure: it won't be a direct remake of the 1971 classic. They are building a "Wonka-verse" that sits somewhere between the books and the original Gene Wilder vibes. It’s a reimagining. It’s colorful. And yeah, it’s going to have more songs.
Will the Original Cast Return?
It is hard to imagine a sequel without Chalamet. He’s the heart of this version. Reports suggest he’s basically a lock, especially since the first film became his biggest non-Dune hit.
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Hugh Grant as the Oompa-Loompa is another story. While he was the highlight for many, Grant has been famously vocal (and hilarious) about how much he dislikes the "motion capture" process. That said, the paycheck and the success of the first film usually talk louder than a grumpy press tour.
Calah Lane, who played Noodle, had a pretty definitive ending to her story. Bringing her back might feel forced, but in the world of pure imagination, writers usually find a way.
Why Wonka 2 is a Big Deal for Cinema
We live in an era of "gritty" reboots. Everything is dark, rainy, and depressing. Wonka was the opposite. It was unashamedly sincere.
That sincerity paid off. It outperformed almost every other family film in 2023 and 2024. This success proved to studios that you don't need a superhero cape to make half a billion dollars; sometimes you just need a hatful of dreams and a catchy tune about chocolate.
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Production is Moving to Los Angeles?
There’s been some chatter in production listings about the sequel potentially filming in Los Angeles rather than the UK. This would be a massive shift. The first movie utilized the cobblestone streets of Oxford and the soundstages at Leavesden. Moving to L.A. usually means more "backlot" filming and heavy green screen use, which some fans worry might lose that tactile, "European" feel of the first one.
What You Should Do Now
If you're a fan, don't get discouraged by the lack of a trailer. Here is the best way to stay updated:
- Ignore "Fan Concept" Trailers: YouTube is flooded with fake Wonka 2 trailers featuring Johnny Depp or AI-generated footage. If it isn't on the official Warner Bros. channel, it’s fake.
- Watch for Casting Calls: If the rumors of a January 2026 or 2027 production start hold true, we will start seeing "Untitled Paul King Project" casting calls in London and L.A. very soon.
- Revisit the Source: If you want to guess the plot, go back to the Roald Dahl short stories. Paul King loves the deep cuts of Dahl’s writing, and the sequel will likely pull from his "lost" drafts.
The wait for the new Willy Wonka movie might be long, but given the track record of this creative team, it’s probably going to be worth every second.