Fans react to first look at Timothée Chalamet in Wonka: ‘The sexification of Willy Wonka needs to stop’

Actor plays a young version of the chocolatier in a musical prequel to Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel

Timothée Chalamet left Charlie and the Chocolate Factory fans conflicted as he shared a first look ahead of his appearance as Willy Wonka.

The actor will play a young version of the chocolatier in Wonka, a musical prequel to Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel.

On Sunday (10 October), Chalamet posted a picture to Instagram dressed up as the character, wearing a brown top hat and a crushed velvet raspberry topcoat, paired with a multicoloured geometric patterned scarf.

“The suspense is terrible, I hope it will last... WONKA,” the Dune star captioned the image.

The image divided fans, with some sharing their excitement while others complained about the film’s apparent attempt to make the children’s character appear attractive.

“Oh jesus now everybody about to be thirsting over willy wonka aGAIN,” one viral tweet read.

“The sexification of willy wonka needs to stop,” another commenter wrote.

One Twitter user joked: ‘You’re supposed to look like a crazed diabetes factory owner not a capitalist suit-wearing sexy Englishman.”

“Calling it now Willy Wonka is gonna replace [The Lorax’s] The Onceler as a capitalist suit-wearing tumblr sexyman,” another fan commented.

Last month, it was announced that Olivia Colman, Rowan Atkinson, Keegan-Michael Key and Sally Hawkins would be joining the film. The screenplay is written by Ghosts star Simon Farnaby, who also wrote the script to Paddington 2.

Wonka is currently scheduled for release in March 2023.